Raiders' Davis: Gruden, Mayock shut down Brady pursuit in 2020

Tom Brady is now part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but he was nearly the franchise's quarterback in 2020, according to majority owner Mark Davis.

The Raiders were close to signing Brady but previous head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock decided against it, Davis revealed in an interview with former NBA All-Star Baron Davis.

"He was supposed to be here in 2020," the 70-year-old Davis said. "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. And obviously, it was a tough decision for him, he was close to wanting to come 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."

The Raiders continued to roll with Derek Carr under center in 2020. He remained with the team until 2023 before being released. The Raiders made one playoff appearance in this span, a wild-card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2021 campaign. Meanwhile, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and found instant success, winning his seventh Super Bowl in his first year with the team.

This isn't the first time the Raiders' previous regime was singled out as the reason for Brady not signing with the team. UFC CEO Dana White previously said in 2022 that Gruden blew up a potential deal that would've seen Brady and longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski head to Las Vegas.

Brady did join the Raiders as a minority owner once his playing career wrapped up. His stake in the franchise was approved by league owners in October 2024.