Raiders owner Mark Davis has long wanted Tom Brady to be part of his team, and Davis eventually made that happen by selling Brady a piece of the team. But he still wishes the Raiders had signed Brady when he became a free agent in 2020.
In an interview published by the Raiders, Davis said he still has “some bad feelings” about Brady signing with the Buccaneers instead of the Raiders. Davis said he would have liked to sign Brady, but that then-head coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock decided to stick with Derek Carr.
“He was supposed to be here in 2020,” Davis said of Brady. “That’s when our relationship started, was in 2020 when he was a free agent and we talked to him about coming here to play quarterback. Obviously, it was a tough decision, he was close to coming here, but the head coach and general manager decided they wanted to go in a different direction. So, we didn’t sign him, but as I got to know him through that process, I let his agent know that when he was done playing, I would like him to be a part of our organization.”
Davis talking to Brady’s agent about Brady becoming a part of the organization when Brady was was still an active player could have run afoul of league tampering rules, and league rules surrounding Brady’s minority ownership of the Raiders have been an ongoing topic of conversation. The NFL recently adjusted the Brady rules to give Brady more access to other teams in his capacity as a Fox broadcaster, which Davis supports.
“It wasn’t an easy process, but the National Football League eventually let it happen,” Davis said. “Now, in fact, the other day, they changed the rule on him and he’s allowed now to talk to players.”
When Brady was allowed to talk to all 32 teams in 2020, Davis could have overruled his football people and signed him. Instead, Brady won one more Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, and Brady became a Raider only after he retired.
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