Tom Brady was apparently ready to play on in the NFL with Las Vegas Raiders at the age of 46, before events in his life away from the field stopped the sensational move.
According to the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast with Hondo Carpenter, the Raiders turned to Brady when they knew they were going to split with quarterback Derek Carr.
Carr announced on January 12 that he was leaving the Raiders and Brady announced his retirement on February 1, after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost in the playoffs to Dallas Cowboys on January 17.
Carpenter explained: ‘I’m not going to get into a ton of detail. I can’t. So if you choose not to believe this, that’s fine. The Raiders believed they were getting Tom Brady and had every reason to think that.
Tom Brady was reportedly ready to play on in the NFL this season with the Las Vegas Raiders
Brady, pictured with Raiders owner Mark Davis, retired in February from football age 45
Brady was set to play on with the Raiders but apparently ‘things transpired in his life’
‘I said [last season] you don’t get rid of a Derek Carr for a Jimmy Garoppolo and that was not the plan. Period. Was not the plan.
‘Then some things transpired in Tom Brady’s life that made him coming and quarterbacking the Raiders to not be an option. That was not the Raiders fault. I’ve seen some people say Brady didn’t want to play for the Raiders. Not accurate.
‘They had planned on Tom Brady. Go out and get a rookie. Develop him behind Brady and keep moving. So their third choice was Jimmy Garoppolo. I’m not going to get into no. 2 for a while. I will one day get into who no. 2 was. I’m not getting into no. 2 today.’
Carpenter did not specify if Brady would have unretired to play for the Raiders, or retired after he knew he wouldn’t make the move to Vegas.
But he added: ‘I’m not going to beat up on this organization for not getting Tom Brady because I know some things that happened behind the scenes that is absolutely not their fault.
‘I’m not going to get into why. I’m not going to share things behind the curtain that they have no control over.’
Brady has since been looking to buy a minority stake with the Raiders but the purchase is currently on hold.
He infamously unretired for one more season with the Bucs last year, in a campaign that was sidetracked by his divorce from Brazilian supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen.
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