Mark Davis offers big update on Raiders' 2020 interest in Tom Brady

It was previously said that UFC boss Dana White "worked to put [a] deal together for" both quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski to join the Las Vegas Raiders after the 2019 season before then-Raiders head coach Jon Gruden "blew the deal up." 

During a recent interview published on the team's website, Raiders principal owner Mark Davis revealed that Gruden and then-general manager Mike Mayock passed on replacing Derek Carr with Brady in March 2020. 

Tom Brady "was supposed to be here in 2020"

"He was supposed to be here in 2020," Davis said about Brady, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "That’s when our relationship started, was in 2020 when he was a free agent and we talked to him about coming here to play quarterback. Obviously, it was a tough decision. He was close to coming here, but the head coach and general manager decided they wanted to go in a different direction. So, we didn’t sign him, but as I got to know him through that process, I let his agent know that when he was done playing, I would like him to be a part of our organization."

NFL owners officially approved Brady to be a minority owner of the Raiders last fall. 

Where else could Tom Brady have gone in 2020?

Brady may or may not have wanted to sign with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2020. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch instead elected to keep Jimmy Garoppolo as their QB1 at that time. Shanahan has since suggested he regrets not signing Brady. 

Somewhat out of nowhere, Brady revealed in September 2024 that he "seriously" considered signing with the Chicago Bears following the 2019 campaign. He ultimately joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020 and then guided that team to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the organization. 

None of the other teams mentioned as possible landing spots for Brady have won a Super Bowl since he took his final snap as a member of the New England Patriots in January 2020. Meanwhile, the Raiders never came close to winning a championship when Gruden, Mayock and Carr were associated with the franchise. 

Davis likely can't help but wonder what could have been had he forced Brady on Gruden and Mayock during the COVID-19 pandemic.