There is a lot of uncertainty right now as to whether Tom Brady will return for a 21st season with the New England Patriots. The 42-year-old has said he doesn’t plan to retire, so if you isn’t a Patriot in 2020, he will be open to signing elsewhere. The Raiders will be a strong suitor according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
One of the teams expected to be leading the way if Brady gets to free agency is the Raiders, whose coach, Jon Gruden, is a long-time admirer of the three-time MVP and six-time Super Bowl champion. The two have a good relationship, and league sources believe that Gruden, who is known to be a highly effective recruiter, wants Brady on the Raiders.
Brady was recently seen with Raiders owner Mark Davis at a UFC event in Las Vegas. That coupled with Brady being a California native had been talking.
Derek Carr was coming off his second season under head coach Jon Gruden, which many were calling a ‘make or break’ year. There wasn’t the marked improvement in his performance despite having an improved offensive line with new tackle Trent Brown and guard Richie Incognito along with rookie phenom running back Josh Jacobs.
Gruden’s most successful season as an NFL head coach came with quarterbacks nearing the end of long careers. First with Rich Gannon in Oakland and then winning the Super Bowl with Brad Johnson in Tampa.
Brady won a Super Bowl a year ago. He passed for 4057 yards, 24 TD’s and 8 Int and that was considered a down year for him. The Patriots finished 12-4 and were knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round by the Tennessee Titans.
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