Are The Las Vegas Raiders The Best Fit For Tom Brady?

Despite his annoyance by it, everyone is asking the question “Where will Tom Brady play next season?” There’s already plenty of speculation as the 45-year-old enters unfamiliar territory in free agency. Will he stay put in Florida with his current team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Will he shift across the state to the team he flirted with last year, the Miami Dolphins? Will he return back “home” to the New England Patriots? Those are the three most-likely scenarios on the board, but what about the sleeper teams? There are plenty of teams looking to move on from their current QBs. Could a team like the Las Vegas Raiders be his best landing spot?

Never say never in today’s NFL, but if I were a gambling man I wouldn’t put a ton of money on Tom Brady returning to the New England Patriots. He may one day return to the team that took a shot on him in the sixth round and retire a Patriot while later entering the Hall of Fame in the same fashion, but there was a reason he left in the first place, and nothing seems to have changed since then. Brady went from toeing the line to keep up with “the Patriot way” to partying on a boat and tossing the Lombardi Trophy around.

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That’s not to say he didn’t have those moments in New England, but you rarely saw them on camera. At this point in his career, he’s doing it for the passion of the game and to have fun. If you didn’t see a different Tom Brady at the podium for press interviews in TB than you did in NE then you weren’t paying enough attention. His time in Tampa Bay seemed less like he was walking on eggshells and more like he was enjoying himself as a casual observer. However, he’ll always have the connection there and there were great times so you can’t rule it out.

However, if he is looking to find a team where he can go out and be competitive, lift them to the next level, and still have a great time it’ll be with the Las Vegas Raiders. Vegas needs no explanation as it’s not called Sin City for no reason. That won’t be his motive to go there, but it will sure help the cause. Brady has his connection with Vegas as his former coach Josh McDaniels is now leading the Raiders. Even if McDaniels didn’t have the experience with Brady, he should be pushing his chips all in on the future Hall of Famer. If anyone could use a boost in the wins column it’s Josh McDaniels.

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Then you have to consider the football side of things. Take a look at New England who has talent, but not at the level they did when #12 was under center. Ya know who does have talent? The Las Vegas Raiders. Josh Jacobs is the type of running back who can force defenders to cheat toward the line. Devante Adams has the same explosiveness that Mike Evans has in TB and that Brady enjoyed when he had Randy Moss. Despite the trade rumors, if they keep Hunter Renfrow there’s his speedy underneath guy. Darren Waller would be his big target TE.

The Las Vegas Raiders might have to back the Brinks truck up to lure Tom Brady to play for them, but it would be a good fit. They’d be able to draft a replacement and let him sit but remain competitive. If Brady does decide to return next season, then the Raiders should be close to the top of his list.