Subscribe
Follow Us
With Derek Carr benched for the last two games of the 2022 Las Vegas Raiders season, the future of the franchise’s quarterback position is now in flux. There are several ways the franchise could go in the offseason. The team could even keep Carr for another season to start or mentor a young QB. However, the most intriguing — and now even more realistic — possibility is a Tom Brady-Raiders partnership in 2023 that could happen after Carr’s benching.
Tom Brady could be on the Raiders in 2023 after Derek Carr benched
The 2022 Raiders season had such promise. Quarterback Derek Carr and company were coming off a 10-7 playoff season and added Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams to Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and Josh Jacobs on offense and Chandler Jones to Maxx Crosby on defense.
It seemed like a recipe for a Super Bowl contender. What actually happened was much different than expected, though.
The Raiders had a disastrous start to their 2022 season, going 2-7 in their first nine. The team righted the ship a bit in the second half, but even a 4-2 record in the next six wasn’t enough to get the team back in the playoff hunt.
Heading into Week 17, the team is mathematically still alive for the postseason, but at 6-9, the team would need a miracle to make it. That’s why first-year Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels announced on Wednesday that Derek Carr is benched for the remainder of the season.
Jarrett Stidham will get the Week 17 start vs. the juggernaut San Francisco 49ers, and if he falters, the undrafted rookie free agent from Cal, Chase Garbers, could get a chance.
Stidham and Garbers aside, the real story here is how this could possibly lead to a Tom Brady-Raiders marriage this offseason.
On the Carr side, this likely means his time with the Silver and Black is done. With a cap hit of $34.8 million next season and a dead cap number of just $5.6 million, the team will be able to save just under $30 million by letting him go. From a financial perspective, that should be more than enough to get Brady if he decides he wants to play one more season and leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And for the Raiders, bringing in a veteran QB makes a lot more sense than drafting a rookie. The team is built to win now. Other than running back Josh Jacobs, the team has almost all its critical pieces locked up for the next few seasons.
On Brady’s end, there are a lot of reasons he might find Las Vegas and the Raiders attractive.
Article Continues Below
On a personal level, living in Las Vegas as a newly-single multimillionaire could behoove the legendary QB. It also puts him closer to the West Coast where he grew up. And past rumors suggest he’s been interested in going to the Raiders before. In fact, Derek Carr could have been “that mother******” who Brady referred to on The Shop when discussing his 2020 offseason free agency.
From a football perspective, the Raiders make a lot of sense, too.
Without Rob Gronkowski at tight end or a true underneath slot receiver this season, Brady has struggled. Going to a team with Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow is as close as he’ll get to modern-day Gronk and Julian Edelman/Wes Welker types. Also, Davante Adams will immediately become (with apologies to Mike Evans) the best WR Brady has played with since Randy Moss.
The Raiders offensive line is getting better, and the team would likely need to re-sign Josh Jacobs, but overall, the offense is Brady-ready. The defense needs some work, but the Raiders will now have some high draft picks and some cap room to address that issue.
A Tom Brady-Raiders move would put him in the AFC West against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, which isn’t ideal. But wherever Brady ends up outside of the NFC South, he’ll likely face way more competition than he has the last two seasons anyway.
The final reason the Derek Carr benched situation clears a path for Tom Brady is that there aren’t many other options if Brady wants to leave Tampa Bay.
Most of the 2022 playoff teams have their QB for the long run. And many teams that missed the playoffs don’t have the infrastructure that Las Vegas does. The teams that were rumored to be interested in Brady last time around — the Dolphins and 49ers — are now in better spots with their QBs. Although, the Tua Tagovailoa concussion situation does call some of that into question.
Outside of those options, going back to the New England Patriots could be a thing, but the Raiders should be better next season than Brady’s old team.
