Raiders Passed On Tom Brady Because Of Bad Game Film
I’ve been trying to get this across for months. It’s hard for people to let go of narratives. If you watched Tom Brady last year, then you know he isn’t the same guy anymore. I know, you have to actually watch the games. Still, if you did, there’s no possible way to think anything other than Brady has lost several steps. It would appear Brady had way fewer suitors than what the media was trying to portray.
A new report from Vic Tafur of The Athletic suggests the Raiders thought about going after Brady but decided against it after watching game film from last year and the year prior:
“The Raiders were indeed sniffing around Brady as late as this week,” Tafur writes. “And while it is true they never made him an offer, some ballpark numbers were made known to him at some point. The Raiders weren’t going to go as high as the guaranteed $25 million per year for two years that the Bucs gave the 42-year-old quarterback — the game film the last two years just didn’t warrant that in the Raiders’ minds.”
Now, maybe the Raiders are saying this because it doesn’t look like Brady really considered them. Maybe it’s a “You’re not dumping me, I’m breaking up with you” thing. Who knows. Still, at face value, give the Raiders credit. They actually did their homework. Watch the games. Brady wasn’t good last year and has become a check down machine. Nothing about him physically suggested Brady was the old Tom Brady. Doesn’t take many game films to realize that last year.
Instead, the Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to a contract. Mariota will likely come in as the backup but it appears the leash is a short one of Derek Carr. It seems like the Raiders like Carr, they don’t love him.
