Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts before the wild card game against the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Tom Brady almost went to another team before joining Bucs in 2020

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on a quest to reach Super Bowl LX here in 2025 when their season kicks off against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The goal is to bring home the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy, and its first since winning its second back in 2020 after landing the biggest free agent fish on the market, quarterback Tom Brady.

General manager Jason Licht was heralded for being able to lure Brady to Tampa Bay, but it almost didn't happen. According to Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis, Brady almost chose to relocate to Sin City instead of the Sunshine State.

"He was supposed to be here in 2020. That's when our relationship started. It was in 2020, when he was a free agent, we talked about him coming here to play quarterback. Obviously, it was a tough decision for him," Davis said. "He was close to wanting to come here, but the head coach and general manager decided they wanted to go in a different direction, so we didn't sign him."

#Raiders owner Mark Davis explains what led him to choosing Tom Brady to oversee the football side: pic.twitter.com/Z1OwEXtW69
— PharoahNFL (@pharoahnfl) September 4, 2025

Brady's gamble paid off

It may have been close, but things seemed to work out pretty well for Brady with the Buccaneers as the greatest quarterback of all-time collected his seventh Super Bowl ring in just his first season under center in Tampa Bay.

Brady still led his team to success with the Bucs, but it might have been a different story to end his career if he had decided to head to Vegas instead.

The Raiders had just moved to Las Vegas from Oakland and were operating with Derek Carr at quarterback, but wanted that extra something to help push them over the edge.

That clearly didn't come to fruition, as Davis mentioned. Then-general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden decided they wanted to move in a different direction.

It is odd that Gruden and Mayock wouldn't want to sign a quarterback of Brady's stature, but the Buccaneers are happy that things didn't pan out between the Raiders and Brady.

The Buccaneers achieved what they wanted out of the Brady era, and Davis has now been able to bring Brady into the fold in Vegas by giving him minority ownership with an emphasis on Brady being involved in the football aspects of running the team.

The Raiders are hopeful that Brady's insight will help them build a Super Bowl-contending team over the next few years, while the Bucs are in win-now mode with Baker Mayfield leading the way at quarterback.