Speculation continues to grow that Tom Brady could sign with a team other than the New England Patriots when he becomes a free agent in less than two months, and the quarterback’s actions at UFC 246 on Saturday night have some fans convinced the Raiders are in the mix.
Brady attended Conor McGregor’s 40-second thrashing of Cowboy Cerrone in Las Vegas, and NFL fans went wild on social media after the 42-year-old was spotted chatting with Raiders owner Mark Davis.
The Raiders, of course, are moving to Las Vegas this year. Many believe Brady would want to play on the West Coast if he ends up leaving the Patriots, and Vegas is obviously a lot closer to where he grew up in California than Boston is. UFC president Dana White, who has a personal relationship with Brady, said after the fight that he believes Brady signing with the Raiders could actually happen.
There have been rumblings for quite some time that Raiders coach Jon Gruden believes he can do a lot better at quarterback than Derek Carr, but would he consider Brady a huge step up? Brady had a passer rating of just 88.0 this season, which was his lowest mark since 2013. His poor supporting cast may have been the biggest issue, but he also battled injuries and showed signs of age finally catching up to him.
One scenario that would make sense would be the Raiders releasing or trading Carr, which would save them $16.5 million. They could then draft a quarterback and sign Brady to a short-term deal.
Will it happen? It still seems unlikely. While Brady has already been linked to another team on the West Coast, there is still time for him to work things out with the Patriots. If the Pats agree to get some pieces around him in 2020, Brady would probably prefer to remain in New England.
More must-reads: