The Las Vegas Raiders look much different.
Tom Brady is a minority owner for the franchise, and now Pete Carroll is back in the NFL as the Raiders head coach.
This offseason, the Raiders cast a wide net in hopes of finding a capable starting quarterback. One legitimate option was Darnold, who played college football at USC and has ties to Carroll because of that.
But, as it turns out, Brady had a strong say in that decision, per Mike Silver of The Athletic.
"While some believed the Las Vegas Raiders would try to sign Darnold, minority owner Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose opinion held great sway — was not in favor of that approach, according to a source familiar with the franchise’s internal discussions."
That led Darnold to go to the Seattle Seahawks on a three-year deal worth $100 million after he had a career rejuvenation with the Minnesota Vikings.
Then, the Raiders traded for Seahawks QB Geno Smith in a strange turn of events.
So, while many wondered what type of say Brady would have on big decisions such as those, it appears he did have some input, and the Raiders listened to it.
The question now becomes, was Brady right or not to move on from Darnold as the QB1?
MORE NFL:
- Complete winners, losers of schedule release
- Early 2025 schedule predictions
- Ranking the five best and worst prime-time games
- Full 272-game NFL schedule for 2025 season