Tom Brady knows a thing or two about Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, and it appears he’s identified the next one for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders and minority owner Brady are continuing their rebuild over in Las Vegas after a disappointing season that saw them finish 4-13.
And, after appointing Pete Carroll as the franchise’s new head coach, it appears the next building block for the Raiders is a position Brady is very familiar with: QB1.
Las Vegas is said to be eyeing up a shock move for Sam Darnold in free agency, in the hopes of luring him to Las Vegas to be their starter, according to Adam Schefter.
‘I think the Raiders are going to make a play for Sam Darnold,’ Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show.
‘I think Sam Darnold is a candidate to be the Raiders’ quarterback. We’ll see whether Minnesota lets him go or not, but let’s see if that works out with Sam Darnold winding up in Vegas.’
Tom Brady and the Raiders are said to be eyeing a huge free agency quarterback swoop
Las Vegas is reportedly looking to land Sam Darnold should the Vikings part ways with him
Darnold, who was exiled from New York after being drafted by the Jets back in 2018, enjoyed a renaissance this past season with the Minnesota Vikings.
The USC product led Kevin O’Connell’s team to a 14-3 regular-season record but the Vikings stumbled in Week 18 losing the NFC No. 1 seed to the Detroit Lions before crumbling in the playoffs, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round.
Despite a lackluster end to the season, Darnold impressed in Minnesota and, should the Vikings opt to not re-sign him, will be a popular target on the free agency market.
The New York Giants have also been touted as a potential landing spot but when asked about his future at the Pro Bowl games, Darnold remained coy.
‘It’s the work I’ve been putting in my entire career that gives me that validation,’ Darnold told DailyMail.com. ‘Continue to trust the work I put in no matter what the results are.’
‘I think for me the biggest thing is to figure that out with my agent when the time’s right,’ he added when asked about his future with the Vikings.
A move to Las Vegas would link Darnold up with another former Trojan. Carroll, who was at the helm at USC from 2001 to 2009, came out of coaching retirement to take the job with Las Vegas last month – making the 73-year-old the oldest coach in the NFL.
And the Raiders’ first order of business since has been equipping their new head coach with a fresh quarterback.
The Las Vegas Raiders appointed Pete Carroll as their new head coach last month
The Aidan O’Connell-Gardner Minshew pairing floundered last season in a division that boasts Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix.
While the Raiders possess the No. 6 overall pick in April’s Draft, the favored quarterback options in this year’s class – Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are likely to have gone by then.
Therefore Brady and Mark Davis could be forced to look to the free agency market to find their replacement under center.
But Minnesota could block Darnold from ever reaching free agency, the Vikings could exercise the franchise tag, transition tag or sign Darnold to an extension. However, after drafting JJ McCarthy last year, the franchise believes it has its franchise quarterback for the future.
