Raiders To Sign Tom Brady, Trade For Stefon Diggs?
Are the Raiders going to sign Tom Brady and then trade for Stefon Diggs?
Fresh off a move to Las Vegas, Mark Davis and his organization are looking to make a splash.
Last season, the Raiders finished with a 7-9 record that was actually better than what most people were expecting. Given how they looked in 2018, most figured Jon Gruden’s team would struggle badly in 2019.
Instead, the team absolutely showed out for the first half of the season. Unfortunately, things fell apart at the end of the year with the Raiders losing five out of their last six outings.
Now all eyes are on 2020.
Gruden has made it no secret that he is no big fan of his current starting quarterback, Derek Carr.
And it is easy to see why.
Carr has a very good offensive line that he has not done much with over the past couple of seasons.
The Raiders gave up the sixth lowest sack rate in 2019, and yet Carr never seemed to have enough time to make a good throw.
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Moreover, despite having weapons like rookie running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Darren Waller at his disposal, Carr never seemed comfortable in the offense.
With all that in mind, a recent report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter should come not come as much of a shock.
According to Schefter, if Brady opts to leave the New England Patriots, Las Vegas will make a serious play for him.
A month or so back, Davis and Brady were seen conversing at a UFC event. Both men claimed it was just innocent chatter, but who knows what they were really up to.
Brady is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and he is reportedly seriously considering making a change.
The Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts are all expected to also make a play for his services.
If he does ultimately end up picking the Raiders, Brady will want some help to join him.
That is where Diggs comes into play.
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Diggs has made it no secret that he wants off the Minnesota Vikings. Although he and the organization were able to patch things up in time to make a playoff run at season’s end in 2019, the bad blood that existed for much of the season continues to be there.
While the Antonio Brown fiasco obviously left a bad taste in management’s mouth when it comes to spending assets on prima donna wide receivers, the chance to pair Brady and Diggs is too good to pass up.
Diggs is only 26 years old and is locked in place until 2023. He would be a tremendous addition to Las Vegas’ offensive roster and would immediately be one of the three best wide receivers Brady’s ever played with.
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Between his age and his skills, even if the Brady experiment does not work out, the Raiders will likely be able to flip him to someone else down the road.
Last year, Diggs amassed 1,130 receiving yards – the second consecutive time he has surpassed 1,000 yards through the air.
If the Raiders are serious about making a splash and doing big things in Las Vegas, the organization needs to be bold.
And there is really no bolder move that can be made than trying to recruit Brady and trading for Diggs over the summer.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
