The Las Vegas Raiders had envisioned a different future.
Tom Brady officially declared his retirement from the National Football League a couple of weeks following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 NFC Wild Card round. However, a recent report suggests that Brady’s decision took one AFC team by surprise.
The Las Vegas Raiders had reportedly laid out plans to sign Tom Brady during that particular offseason. According to Hondo Carpenter, “The Raiders believed they were getting Tom Brady and had every reason to think that.”
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Carpenter continued to explain:
“I’m not going to get into a ton of detail. I can’t. So if you choose not to believe this, that’s fine. The Raiders believed they were getting Tom Brady and had every reason to think that,” Hondo Carpenter explained.
“I said [last season] you don’t get rid of a Derek Carr for a Jimmy Garoppolo and that was not the plan. Period. Was not the plan.
“Then some things transpired in Tom Brady’s life that made him coming and quarterbacking the Raiders to not be an option. That was not the Raiders fault. I’ve seen some people say Brady didn’t want to play for the Raiders. Not accurate.
“They had planned on Tom Brady. Go out and get a rookie. Develop him behind Brady and keep moving. So their third choice was Jimmy Garoppolo. I’m not going to get into no. 2 for a while. I will one day get into who no. 2 was. I’m not getting into no. 2 today.”
Ultimately, the Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo, and their performance has not met expectations.
As of now, with a 3-4 record, the Raiders are preparing to face the Lions on Monday Night Football. Meanwhile, Brady is actively seeking an ownership stake in the Raiders franchise, making it evident that he would have had no reservations about playing for them.
