On February 1, 2023, Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL. Although this is Brady’s second retirement, it still shocked many people. The quarterback was expected to sign with a new team as a free agent, but he ultimately decided to leave the game.
The Las Vegas Raiders were considered the frontrunners to sign Brady in free agency, but since the legendary quarterback retired, they ended up signing Jimmy Garoppolo. The seven-time Super Bowl champion went on to become a minority owner of the AFC West team, and his stake in the team may soon come to an end.
According to a recent report, the Las Vegas Raiders’ interest in Brady is quite legitimate and Garoppolo is not their primary target in free agency. Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter recently appeared on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast and provided an in-depth analysis of the situation. He said:
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“I’m not going to go into too much detail. I can’t. So if you choose not to believe that, that’s OK… There’s no tampering, but the Raiders believe they got Tom Brady and have every reason to think… …I said (last season) you weren’t going to get rid of Derek Carr for Jimmy Garoppolo, that wasn’t the plan…
“Then something happened in Tom Brady’s life that made it no longer an option for him to come to the Raiders and play quarterback. It’s not the Raiders’ fault. They planned on Tom Brady. Go out and find it. A rookie. Develop him behind Brady and maintain his ability.” Move. “
Hondo Carpenter later mentioned Jimmy Garoppolo as the third option and the team wouldn’t cut ties with Derek Carr if Brady couldn’t play. He said:
“So, their third option is Jimmy Garoppolo. I’m not going to go No. 2 just yet. One day I’ll learn who the No. 2 is. Today I’m not going to go No. 2. It’s not some big deal Things… I don’t blame the organization for not getting Tom Brady because I know some of the things that happened behind the scenes were absolutely not their fault.
“I’m not going to explain why because this isn’t TMZ. I’m not going to share things behind the scenes that they can’t control. I know if they think Jimmy (is going is) that guy. I know. “
Things started to go south between Raiders head coach Josh McDaniel and Derek Carr late last season. An exit was inevitable, and although the team attempted to trade him, the veteran quarterback was ultimately released in February. He then signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Raiders could draft another quarterback next year under Tom Brady
Tom Brady’s minority stake could be finalized soon, and the team could draft a new quarterback next year. Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t their long-term solution, and the quarterback is injury-prone in addition to inadvertent turnovers.
The Raiders are off to a 3-4 start this season and could have a top-10 pick next year. Considering the quarterback class in next year’s draft, they should draft a new quarterback.
While they’ll likely miss Kaleb Williams and Derek Meyer, others like Michael Penix Jr., Quinn Ewers or JJ McCarthy could be available in Canada before starting work. He studied under Rapolo for a year or two.