As this offseason approached, it was clear that Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady would have significant influence over the operation. Brady was, of course, very involved in the hiring of a new head coach, as he strongly pursued former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson before landing Pete Carroll.
He was also heavily involved in the addition of a quarterback. Brady led an effort to pursue Matthew Stafford and eventually gave his stamp of approval on the trade for Geno Smith. The selection of quarterback Cam Miller in this year's draft was also reportedly Brady's druthers.
Of course, his opinion does not have to be taken into account with every move that the Raiders make. But, through one offseason, it seems like his input will be solicited far more often than not.
Tom Brady put his foot down regarding one QB option for Raiders
The Raiders clearly left no stone unturned when it came to their pursuit of a quarterback this offseason. They were also easy to tie to nearly any option in the draft or on the free agent market.
When Smith's contract extension talks with the Seattle Seahawks went astray in March and the Raiders traded for him, the Seahawks quickly pivoted by signing former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract.
Las Vegas was linked to Darnold as well during the offseason. However, according to Michael Silver of The Athletic, the Raiders' pursuit of Darnold never really got off the ground because of Brady.
"The Seahawks’ pursuit of Darnold snuck up on many NFL observers and proceeded in rapid-fire fashion," Silver wrote. "While some believed the Las Vegas Raiders would try to sign Darnold, minority owner Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose opinion held great sway — was not in favor of that approach, according to a source familiar with the franchise’s internal discussions."
Brady seemingly saved the team from this disastrous signing, so Raider Nation is already indebted to the seven-time Super Bowl champion. While Darnold is far from the worst that Las Vegas could have done, Smith is both better and cheaper than the former Viking.
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The Seahawks protected themselves from the possibility that Darnold's performance with the Minnesota Vikings last year was a one-year fluke. They did so by making his three-year deal into what is only a firm one-year commitment.
This should tell Raiders fans exactly how NFL franchises feel about Darnold, and give them a sigh of relief that he is not a member of the Silver and Black. Brady was clearly not alone in thinking that Darnold may be a one-year wonder and have a hard time replicating his success elsewhere.
Carroll and general manager John Spytek may have shared that view as well, and Brady's sentiment simply confirmed Darnold would never don the Silver and Black unless things went completely awry.