Tom Brady Emergency QB for the Las Vegas Raiders
“We’re excited for Tom to join the Raiders” is what owner Davis told ESPN in a phone call from the NFL’s spring meeting in Minneapolis, but Mark Davis wasn’t saying that Tom Brady would be joining the team as a player.
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis was implying that Tom Brady will join the organization’s ownership group, but what if I told you that Tom Brady is not done playing?
Tom Brady is undoubtedly the greatest quarterback of all time; he has built a legendary career with the New England Patriots and even won a Super Bowl in one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After his first season with the Buccaneers, Tom Brady wanted to go out with a bang, so he announced his retirement. That retirement lasted only 40 days, and Brady returned to play for one more season.
The results from the 2022 season were unlike the 2021, and the Buccaneers lost in the Wild Card to the Dallas Cowboys 31- 14. In the 2022 season, NFL owners saw firsthand how having depth at the quarterback position is essential. Injuries during the regular season are bad enough, but an injury to a quarterback during a playoff game will get you eliminated from the playoffs fast.
For example, last year, the 49ers had a stout, stingy defense with multiple weapons offensively. Despite their skilled depth chart, the only problem that kept them from winning a championship was their injuries at the quarterback position. The 49ers lost starting quarterback Trey Lance at the beginning of the 2022 season in week 2 to a season-ending ankle injury. Following Lance’s injury, the 2nd string quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot towards the end of the season. The 49ers still managed to make a run to the NFC championship game with their 3rd string quarterback Brock Purdy, but their season was cut short when Purdy was injured in the first quarter of the NFC championship game.
Tom Brady was 3rd in the NFL in passing yards and 8th in passing touchdowns, so the GOAT didn’t leave, showing that he was incapable of coming back this year to show out. I bring up the 49ers’ situation last year because the Las Vegas Raiders just signed Jimmy Garoppolo, and their situation cost them a Super Bowl. How ironic is it that Garoppolo was a backup quarterback under Tom Brady in New England, and now they will be under the same organization again? The Las Vegas Raiders need more depth regarding the quarterback position. They currently have Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, and third-string quarterback Aiden O’Connell.
If the Raiders face any injuries at the quarterback position like the 49ers did in 202, you can almost guarantee that partial owner and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady will put on a helmet to help his organization win a Super Bowl. If the storyline needs to be more convincing, Super Bowl 58 will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Imagine the greatest quarterback of all time coming out of retirement to be an emergency quarterback in the Super Bowl at his home stadium for a team he owns. Nobody could write this story better except for me, of course.
Tom Brady would be the second quarterback, besides himself, to win a home championship, and he would defy the odds by returning to the game after retirement to win three titles with three different NFL organizations. Brady’s ability to lead and dominate at an elite level has solidified his status as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Many people believe his legacy is over, but we will see Brady one more time as an emergency quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders at some point, if not in 2023.
Written by,
Lonnie McKinnis