Tom Brady's Retirement "Brutal" for the Las Vegas Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders received what some call "devastating" news today when the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, announced: "I'm retiring. For good."
I have been reporting for weeks that the Las Vegas Raiders job was Brady's, if he wanted it; he didn't. I never expected the news the NFL world received when I woke up this morning.
I first learned of it when an executive for another franchise texted me with the words, "Devastating for Dave (Ziegler) and Josh (McDaniels)."
It is no secret that Mark Davis wanted Brady, and now the Raiders are in a terrible spot.
There is a lot of interest in Derek Carr, but teams are now reluctant to do much to get him. As one executive told me today: "There is no doubt with Derek Carr's contract structure that they wanted him when they made the deal, or they would have never had a February 15 hard deadline for him to be on the roster or off, and a no-trade clause. That is f***ing brutal."
He added: "That contract makes sense, though, if you are sure that Derek was your guy."
I have reported many times that the Raiders expected to get a trade done, obviously with Carr's blessing (due to a no-trade clause) but talking to people around the NFL all day, it appears the optimism in Henderson at the team's headquarters, is not equaled around the NFL.
One senior executive who does not need a quarterback told me earlier today: "Are you kidding me? Who makes a trade? If you think you have something solid to present to Derek, you wait. He is a competitor; why would he want his new team to weaken themselves. Tom's retirement is brutal for them."
He added: "I know Carr is one of the finest men in this league, but the way this all went down, I wouldn't help if I were him. Not helping the Raiders isn't some unchristian act. It's business. Just like benching him was business."
Another executive from an NFC team told me: "Teams that are in a good place would probably kick the tires, but wait for the Raiders to call back and say: 'We have a deal with this team. Can you beat it,' and then see what happens."
He concluded: "If a team is desperate, I could see them making a trade, but that is about it."
The Raiders are now in a very concerning position. The Silver and Black would never say that publicly; they shouldn't, but they are.
The only other player who could be sold as an upgrade would be Aaron Rodgers, but he comes with baggage that doesn't work with the new "Raider Way." Will the Raiders budge? Would Rodgers?
One executive said: "McDaniels wants a veteran. There is no way in hell you do what you did to Carr and not have a good idea of what you want to do. So who do they sell to the fans? How does Davante (Adams) feel now that he took less money? Don't they have to go get Rodgers to avoid a potential disaster with Davante?"
I have said multiple times that an appealing factor for Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels is that the signing of Tom Brady would have guaranteed them a return to the Raiders in 2024, regardless of 2023. That now places even more heat on Mark Davis' hand-selected leadership team.
Moments ago, an NFL senior executive told me: "Ziegler and Josh are calculated people. To have benched Derek with two games left was calculated. Not getting Brady, we all knew Mark wanted him; it was a kick in the pants. This uncertainty, in my opinion, has Mark Davis written all over it."
Here are my latest odds on the Raiders' next quarterback:
Aaron Rodgers 45%
Jimmy Garoppolo 25%
Rookie 20%
Lamar Jackson 5%
Mac Jones 5%
The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. On 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. During that time, starting at 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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