The Las Vegas Raiders believe that they are in with a good chance of signing Tom Brady, who is set to become a free agent in a matter of weeks.
After a disappointing season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady finished with a losing record 8-9 for the first time in his career, and may now look to move in order to give himself an opportunity to win one more Super Bowl before retiring.
Coming into the season, many had assumed that this would be his last after he signed a one-year deal following a shocking retirement u-turn, when he announced his intentions to walk away from the sport before reversing it to re-sign with the team after just 40 days.
Should Brady return for his 24th season, he will want to be in the situation that gives him the best possible chance to win a Super Bowl.
Reportedly the 45-year-old has whittled his decision down to three teams should he choose to play again – with the Raiders being confident that they are one of those teams.
Jeremy Fowler, from ESPN, declared that the Raiders believe that they are one of the teams who Brady will want to sign with, with the Buccaneers not ‘completely out of it’.
However, the Buccaneers themselves do not seem confident about re-signing him, with teammates telling Ian Rapoport that they believe he will leave and sign elsewhere.
The Raiders have emerged as a strong candidate amongst others, whilst having Brady’s former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as head coach. Whilst they may not have the best offensive line to protect him, the team does boast arguably the best receiver in the league in Davante Adams – who would be an ideal fit with Brady.
The San Francisco 49ers had also been considered a favourite, who were reportedly close to signing him when he left the Patriots in 2020, but they remained with Jimmy Garoppolo.
But now, the emergence of rookie Brock Purdy has made that a little unrealistic, with the team also having Trey Lance returning next season – who they effectively spent three first-round picks to select in the 2021 draft.
