Tom Brady’s Secret Objection to Raiders’ Sam Darnold Deal Revealed—What Went Wrong?

Sometimes the subtlest decisions end up telling the biggest stories, right? Take the recent buzz around Sam Darnold’s move to Seattle—Mike Silver over at TheAthletic.com dropped some intriguing insights that might’ve slipped under most radars. Turns out, Tom Brady, the Raiders’ minority owner, wasn’t keen on chasing after Darnold for the quarterback spot. That tidbit gels with what we’ve heard since Matthew Stafford chose to stick with L.A. Instead of rolling the dice on veteran options like Aaron Rodgers—which Brady and G.M. John Spytek flatly dismissed—or gambling on a rookie, the Raiders settled on Geno Smith, a choice that feels like a nod to his rapport with Pete Carroll. It’s fascinating to pit these two old AFC West rivals against each other: Did Seattle make the savvy call grabbing Darnold, or is the Raiders’ path with Geno the smarter play? Plus, Brady’s somewhat awkward denial about his part in passing over Shedeur Sanders adds a whole other layer of complexity to his actual influence on the team’s shaping. The man’s definitely got a hand in the roster moves—even if he’s playing it coy about how much elbow grease he’s really putting in. Whether intentional or not, Brady’s crafted a clever spot for himself—poised to bask in the glow if the Raiders rise, yet neatly sidestepping blame if things stay stuck in neutral. LEARN MORE

The fact that Brady was directly involved in the evaluation of veteran quarterbacks also makes his clumsy effort to disclaim any role in the decision to pass, repeatedly, on quarterback Shedeur Sanders.“There’s . . . I — I — it’s a good question,” Brady said when asked a fairly broad question about the Sanders free fall. “I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process or to see that.”That meshes with the reporting that emerged after quarterback Matthew Stafford decided to stay in L.A. Brady and Raiders G.M. John Spytek weren’t enamored with the other veteran options (they had zero interest in Aaron Rodgers), while the coaching staff wasn’t thrilled with the idea of targeting and developing a rookie.While Brady doesn’t seem to be rolling up his sleeves and applying elbow grease to his work with the Raiders, Brady definitely has a voice in the shaping of the roster.Whether he intended it or not, Brady has created a potentially ideal middle ground that will allow him to claim credit if the Raiders turn things around — and to escape blame if the franchise continues to be far more sluggish than successful.

It’s not necessarily new, but it’s worth mentioning.It makes for an interesting compare-and-contrast between two franchises that were, for years, rivals in the AFC West. Did the Seahawks get it right by opting for Darnold? Did the Raiders get it right by focusing on Geno?Geno Smith became the compromise candidate, given his clear connection to coach Pete Carroll.In the recent item from Mike Silver of TheAthletic.com regarding quarterback Sam Darnold’s latest fresh start, in Seattle, Silver reports that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady didn’t want to pursue Darnold as the team’s next quarterback.