Tom Brady To The Raiders? 3 Reasons The Free Agent Quarterback Won't Sign With Las Vegas In 2020

Tom Brady is set to become the NFL’s most sought-after player when free agency officially begins on March 18. After spending 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, there’s a real possibility that Brady could decide to sign with another team.

The Las Vegas Raiders are given as good of a chance as anyone to lure the six-time champion away from New England. The franchise is expected to pursue Brady as it heads to a new city for the 2020 season.

No one is certain of what Brady will decide, but there are several reasons to doubt that the quarterback will actually choose to leave the Patriots for the Raiders.

Money

Brady reportedly won’t give the Patriots a hometown discount. The quarterback has played on team-friendly contracts for years in order to give New England a better chance to win. Brady was the 13th highest-paid quarterback in the league a season ago.

According to Larry Fitzgerald Sr. (NFL reporter and father of Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald), the Raiders are willing to give Brady a two-year, $60 million contract. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport previously reported that New England is willing to pay Brady at least $30 million per year. It’s possible that the Patriots won’t want to fully guarantee the 42-year-old a multi-year contract, but they appear likely to match the Raiders’ salary offer for 2020, at the very least.

It won’t be surprising if the Los Angeles Chargers offer Brady more than $60 million. Six quarterbacks make at least $30 million per season.

Offensive Weapons

Brady’s numbers suffered in 2019 in large part because his receivers didn’t give him much help. New England’s playmakers routinely were unable to create much separation between themselves and defenders, resulting in Brady’s worst completion percentage (60.8) in 15 years.

If Brady wants to leave the Patriots for a team that has a more talented receiving corps, he’s got much better options than the Raiders. Austin Ekeler was seven yards away from giving the Chargers three 1,000-yard receivers in 2019. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the NFL’s best duo in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Julian Edelman is as good as any Raiders wide receiver. Tight end Darren Waller is the only Las Vegas playmaker that even had 50 catches or more than 651 receiving yards in 2019.

Super Bowl Chances

During their final season in Oakland, the Raiders didn’t come close to competing for a title. The team went 7-9, finishing below .500 for a third straight year. The Raiders have one playoff appearance and no postseason wins since they reached Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003.

The Raiders ranked outside of the top-10 in both total offense and defense last season. Las Vegas is stuck in the same division as Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Even with their offensive struggles this past season, the Patriots were among the best teams in the NFL. Brady, the No.1 ranked defense and arguably the greatest coach of all time went 12-4 and almost secured a first-round bye. Brady and Bill Belichick would be heavy favorites to win an 11th straight AFC East title in 2020.