Tom Brady Rumors: Raiders Were 'Sniffing Around' Before QB Chose Buccaneers

The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly had their eyes on Tom Brady before the future Hall of Famer elected to go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Las Vegas was "sniffing around Brady as late as this week."

Alas, the former New England Patriots great signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with Tampa Bay, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The $50 million is all guaranteed, and the contract features up to $9 million in incentives.

This comes after ESPN's Ed Werder reported on Tuesday the Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers "still suspect the Raiders could eventually be involved" while they were pursuing Brady.

Las Vegas ended up agreeing to a deal with Marcus Mariota to provide some competition to incumbent starter Derek Carr.

While Carr went to three straight Pro Bowls from 2015 through 2017, he led the Raiders to a combined 11-21 record in each of the last two seasons while throwing for a career-low 19 touchdowns in 2018. He is under contract through the 2022 campaign, although his recent play was uninspiring enough for the Raiders to apparently look into Brady.

It is hard to blame them or any team considering Brady has a resume that includes six Super Bowl rings, three league MVPs, two Offensive Player of the Year awards and 14 Pro Bowl selections.

He is past his prime and will be 43 years old during the 2020 season but is not far removed from a Super Bowl run during the 2018 campaign.

Having someone like that leading the way for a Raiders team that hasn't won a playoff game since the 2002 season would have been a welcome development.