The Las Vegas Raiders season has been over for several weeks now. However, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is heading to his 10th Super Bowl appearance at age 43. After an impressive season with the Bucs, the Silver and Black should regret not pursuing Brady in 2020’s NFL free-agent window.
Rewind to the Raiders 2020 Free Agency
As the never-ending Derek Carr debate rages on in 2021, it was maybe at its most deciding moment back in February 2020.
There was legitimate speculation of future Hall of Fame quarterback, Tom Brady, arriving in Sin City as a member of the Silver and Black in the following months after the photo below was captured.
ðŸ‘€â˜ ï¸ @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/LkqpM7RGSA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 19, 2020
Las Vegas elected to stay with Carr as their starter for the 2020 season. While he had a few good moments, he did not consistently elevate the offensive players around him. Whether it be scheme, playcalling, or simply passive quarterback play, ‘4’ led the league in turnovers last season. That is not an ideal recipe for winning, especially with a bottom-ranked defense on the other side of the field. The front office stuck with their ‘franchise quarterback’, but Brady exemplifies “Mamba Mentality” to this very day.
Related: Raiders 2020 Rewind: LB Nicholas Morrow Has Career Year in 2020
Tom Brady would have led Las Vegas to the playoffs
Brady managed to throw for 44 touchdowns and only 13 total turnovers compared to Carr’s 30 touchdowns and 17 total turnovers in 2020. The Buccaneers quarterback managed to master an offense with no offseason workout program prior to the regular season due to the NFL’s Covid-19 restrictions. In addition, ‘TB12’ showed he is still one of the most aggressive players under center.
BUCS PUT 7 MORE ON THE BOARD WITH 1SEC LEFT IN THE HALF!! 😱
Tom Brady connects with Scotty Miller for the score ðŸ´â€â˜ ï¸
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Qv2AYHaexO
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 24, 2021
Meanwhile, in Year 3 of Jon Gruden’s tenure, Carr hasn’t been able to produce over 30 touchdowns yet and faltered (more times than not) when the game was on the line. The future Hall of Famer would have brought composure, friends, and most importantly, more wins to Las Vegas. Speaking of friends, tight end Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to reunite with his old friend.
Looking back, the Raiders made a mistake by not signing a future Hall of Fame player this past offseason. Brady possesses an aura that numerous NFL players flock to. He changed the fortune of a franchise that missed the playoffs in 2019 to earning a Super Bowl berth.
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Top Photo: Photo by Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal