The Las Vegas Raides minority owner really still wants to be quarterback, but the NFL isn't thrilled about the idea.
The fever dreams of Tom Brady will probably never end when it comes to making a return as an NFL quarterback, and the minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders said he made an inquiry about playing, according to reports on ESPN and multiple other outlets.
Shockingly, the league finally said no, which is the first time Brady has heard that word with regard to his various endeavors in some time.
“I actually have inquired, and they don’t like that idea very much,” Brady said. “We explored a lot of different things, and I’m very happily retired. Let me just say that, too.”
The inquiry isn’t all that surprising, and the last part of that quote probably isn’t true. Brady showed off his arm in his flag football debut last Saturday, and it’s not hard to envision where Brady begins the season as a starter for the Raiders while they develop quarterback Fernando Mendoza, as unlikely as that might seem.
The NFL does have rules about this sort of thing that even apply to Brady, however, and in this instance they’re complicated. He’d have to sell his stake in the team before he could become an active player, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and even then there would be questions about whether he’d be a free agent or eligible to only play for the Raiders.
There would also be salary cap considerations involving the money Brady has made as a minority owner, which would probably be the last thing Brady or the Raiders want.
Brady denied that his partial success in flag football helped fuel his desire to consider returning.
“If anything, that game reconfirmed to me that I’m very happy in my retirement,” Brady said.
That’s hard to buy, though, given that Brady has yet to show that he can’t throw effectively. He may have lost the wheels he never really had, and taking hits at age 48 would be beyond brutal. But given Brady’s nature, he’d be tempted to try, and the saddest thing is that he’d probably be better than most of the veteran QBs the Raiders are to backup or be a bridge quarterback to Mendoza.
The other illuminating aspect of this story is that Brady sort of denied being integrally involved with the Raiders day-to-day operations, stating that he has a “strategic advisory role” with the Raiders.
Still, the flag football experience was memorable, and for a lot of different reasons.
"I loved being out there playing in the flag game," Brady said. "I loved not getting hit. I've got a lot of really fun things I'm involved in. It's never going to get old throwing passes to incredible athletes on the football field."