Brady Had Raiders' Number, Tuck or No

The Las Vegas Raiders shave turned their attention from Tom Brady as he announced his retirement, but despite is desire not to play for them, he had their number.

There was a lot of speculation that Tom Brady, considered by most people to be the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, would sign as a free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders for next season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

That was before Brady abruptly announced his retirement on Tuesday at the age of 45 after 23 seasons in the National Football League with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady’s history with Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler of the Raiders when they were part of the front office for several successful seasons with the Patriots, including seven Super Bowl victories, seemed to indicate he might wind up wearing Silver and Black next season.

The Raiders certainly wanted him, but he didn't want them.

Otherwise, Brady retiring was good news for the Raiders.

Brady had a 5-1 record against the Raiders, including 5-0 after he lost his first meeting against the Silver and Black, 27-20, at the Oakland Coliseum in 2002, when he passed for 172 yards without a touchdown and lost a fumble.

That was the only time he lost to the Raiders, although fans of Raider Nation would dispute that.

Of course, the most memorable game Brady played against the Raiders was the infamous “Tuck Rule” game during the 2001 American Football Conference Divisional Playoffs at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Brady went back to pass but pulled the ball down and had both hands on it when he was hit by Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson and fumbled, with linebacker Greg Biekert recovering and clinching the victory for the Raiders.

Instead, after Brady got up and ran off the field without any dispute because he knew he had fumbled, officials cited something called “The Tuck Rule.” They called it an incomplete pass—even though Brady was trying to protect the ball at the time and had no intention of throwing a pass when Woodson was sacking him.

“The Tuck Rule” was taken off the books soon after.

Adam Vinatieri kicked a 45-yard field goal in the snow with 27 seconds left in regulation to tie the score and added a 23-yard field goal in overtime for a 16-13 victory which sent the Patriots on the way to capturing their first Super Bowl, 20-17, over the St. Louis Rams on Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal.

In addition to that game, Brady completed 24-of-38 passes for 305 yards and touchdowns of 18 yards to wide receiver Deion Branch and five yards to wide receiver Tim Dwight in a 30-20 victory over the Raiders in the 2005 opener at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The next time the teams met, Brady completed 26-of-30 passes for 226 yards and touchdowns of 15 yards to wide receiver Wes Welker and four yards to Branch in a 31-19 victory in 2011 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Then Brady completed 24-of-37 passes for 234 yards and a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski as the Patriots downed the Raiders, 16-9, in 2014 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

The last time the Raiders played against Brady in 2017, he demolished them by completing 30-of-37 passes for 340 yards and touchdowns of 15 yards to running back Dion Lewis, five yards to wide receiver Danny Amendola and 64 yards to wide receiver Brandon Cooks in a 33-8 rout at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

The Raiders never played against Brady in his three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and maybe that’s a good thing.

“I would love to play with Tom Brady,” Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby of the Raiders said recently.

That isn’t going to happen.

The NFL Scouting Combine is scheduled for Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. From 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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