Tom Brady is tentatively set to become a free agent for the first time in his career. Rumors have been swirling that Tom Brady might decide to finish his career off on another team. It might also make sense for the New England Patriots to move on from their longtime signal-caller, seeing that he will be 43 years old before the start of the season. Money won’t be an issue for Brady, as he has taken less his entire career to ensure the Patriots have the pieces they need around him to win. This means he is likely going to hand-pick his next team. Many Raiders fans have taken to social media to photoshop Brady into a Raiders uniform. Well, it is time to pump the brakes, because a Brady-Raiders union is not going to happen.
Tom Brady to the Raiders is a Fantasy
Why Would He Chose the Raiders?
First and foremost, why would Brady, who has been with one of the most stable organizations in the NFL over the past two decades, decide that he wants to leave that atmosphere and join one of the most unstable franchises over that same span? The Raiders have one winning record since 2003. They are moving to a new city, Las Vegas, and there are bound to be some growing pains. Compare that to New England, who had one of their worst seasons in recent memory – after going 12-4 and getting eliminated in the Wild Card round.
This isn’t to say the Raiders are a terrible team. They are certainly on the rise, but there are still way too many holes, especially on defense. Sure, Las Vegas would give Brady a great offensive line and run game, but the wide receivers leave a lot to be desired. Yes, Hunter Renfrow might make some think Wes Welker in the slot, and Darren Waller is a top tight end. But outside of that, there isn’t a lot. The Raiders can draft a wide receiver in the first round of this upcoming draft but a team can’t rely on a rookie to step up big.
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Off to Greener Pastures
Other teams have comparable weapons and would be seen by Brady as closer to contention. The Bears may have only finished with one more win than the Raiders, but it was more in spite of their quarterback play than the rest of the team. They have a monstrous defense all the way around, something Brady would love at this point in his career.
The Colts would be another more intriguing option from Brady’s point of view. Like the Raiders, they have a top offensive line. Their run game and tight ends may not be quite on the same tier as the Silver and Black, but they are above average. What tips the scales, like the Bears, is their defense. It is headed by young talents such as Darius Leonard and Malik Hooker. With quarterbacks looking like the weakest link on the Colts and Bears, Brady is more opt to go with one of them over the Raiders.
Is he Any Better Than Carr?
Brady is the GOAT. He has won six Super Bowl rings. He has played 19 seasons in the NFL. Even at age 42, he played better than most quarterbacks in the league last year. Most but not all. In fact, Brady showed signs of aging last year. His 24 touchdown throws were the lowest he’s thrown since 2006. His 60.8 completion percentage was tied for the third-worst in his career. At this point, he probably has huge doubts in his own mind on whether he’ll make it to playing to 45 as he wanted.
Say Brady doesn’t regress any further. This is already highly unlikely for two reasons: One is that he has another year under his belt. And if they make another Tom vs Time, most people’s money will be on Time. The second reason is that Brady will be operating in a new system for the first time in his career. Even if he were to somehow duplicate his 2019 numbers, is he even a better option than Carr? His 4,057 yards are only three more than the Raiders quarterback. He threw three more touchdowns than Carr, but the team often relied on running back Josh Jacobs in the end zone to punch it in. The running backs for the Patriots were not as good this year, which left Brady having to toss it in for the score more often.
Oh year, and he also threw exactly 100 more passes than Carr, completing almost seven percent less than Carr. Even if Jon Gruden and company don’t think Carr is the answer, it doesn’t sound smart to bring in a guy who doesn’t have a shot at putting up any better numbers than Carr.
If the team does decide to look for a new quarterback, it will likely be through the draft.
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