The Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback room could look really different now if minority owner Tom Brady didn't speak up.

While the Raiders ultimately landed on trading for and extending Geno Smith, they could and might have realistically signed Smith's Seattle successor.

“The Seahawks’ pursuit of Darnold snuck up on many NFL observers and proceeded in rapid-fire fashion,” according to The Athletic's Michael Silver. “While some believed the Las Vegas Raiders would try to sign Darnold, minority owner Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose opinion held great sway — was not in favor of that approach, according to a source familiar with the franchise’s internal discussions.”

It's unclear exactly why Brady was reportedly against Darnold; the journeyman quarterback found new life as the Minnesota Vikings' starter last season, leading to a 14-3 record but also fell in the Wild Card in a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

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Unlike Darnold and the Vikings, Smith and the Seahawks did not end up making the playoffs, as they lost out to the Rams on the NFC West title on a tiebreaker. Still, Smith led Seattle to a 10-7 record and a 7-1 record on the road.

Meanwhile, the Raiders, one year after making a surprise resurgence under then-interim coach Antonio Pierce following the firing of Josh McDaniels, collapsed in 2024. Las Vegas, without a dependable quarterback to rely on, started the season 2-2 before losing 10 games in a row from early October to just before Christmas. The Raiders managed to end the losing streak and win two of their final three games, but the 4-13 record was enough for majority owner Mark Davis to fire Pierce and replace him with Pete Carroll, coincidentally the former Seahawks head coach.

Carroll has a connection with Smith, who played for the Seahawks from 2019 to 2023 under Carroll. It was with the veteran coach that he experienced a career revival; after barely playing for seven straight years across four different teams, he started all 17 games during the 2022 season and threw for more than 4,000 yards, a career-high 30 touchdowns, and led the league in completion percentage. In 2024, Smith set a new career high for wins as a starter, completions, attempts, and passing yards.

Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, officially joined the Raiders' ownership group in October 2024. He owns approximately 5% of the team but, as reported, has an outsized influence on the franchise's operations.