‘He’s that unique’ – Tom Brady to undertake crucial new job when Year 1 of $375 million contract ends after Super Bowl
Pete Carroll was unveiled as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders this week.
The longtime Seattle Seahawks head coach made history with his appointment, becoming the oldest head coach of all time at the ripe age of 73.
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Restoring the Raiders back to former glories will be no easy feat for the Super Bowl XLVIII champion -- the Silver and Black are coming off a 4-13 season and haven't won a playoff game since 2002.
They also have glaring roster issues to fix, most notably at quarterback with a clear lack of a QB1.
Luckily, the Raiders have the QB1, Tom Brady, helping to run the show, after the New England Patriots legend acquired a ten percent stake in the franchise last year.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner was reported to be running point in their search for a new head coach, and will now take an active role in their quest for a starting signal caller.
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During his introductory press conference, Carroll weighed in on the Raiders’ quarterback position, revealing Brady's vital role in the search.
“It’s our mission to build our team, this football team, up around the quarterback position … it isn’t the only spot,” Carroll said.
“We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us, to seek clearly, and we are going to lean on Tom as much as we can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has; he is that unique.”
Finding the Raiders a new quarterback will be high on Brady's agenda, but only after the upcoming Super Bowl.
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TB12 signed a 10-year deal with Fox worth $375 million to be the network's top color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt.
After a rocky start, Brady has been widely praised for insightful analysis throughout this NFL postseason, and will provide the color for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans next month.
After that, Brady will have some time away from the booth where he will likely prioritize Las Vegas' search for a new field general.
The Raiders currently have Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell under contract, but are in need of a more-long term solution under center.
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They could turn their attention to spring's NFL Draft and one of the rookie quarterbacks in the 2025 class.
The likes of Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Jalen Milroe are all expected to be top QB picks, but it remains to be seen if they will still be on the board once it's the Raiders turn to select at No. 6.
The Raiders have the second-most cap space in the NFL with $92,332,914 - more than enough to secure a franchise quarterback.
If they decide against drafting a rookie, they could be tempted by several veterans in free agency, including Justin Fields, Jameis Winston, and Sam Darnold.
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However, the name that continues to be linked to the Carroll-led Raiders is Russell Wilson.
Carroll and Wilson have already worked together before, winning a Super Bowl at the end of the 2013 season.
The 36-year-old Wilson is coming off a solid season with the Pittsburgh Steelers following his disaster in Denver, and has expressed an interest in returning next year.
Despite his age, Wilson proved last season he's still a more than serviceable quarterback, and could be the perfect short-term solution for Brady and Carroll to bridge the Raiders to their next starter.
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He's also a free agent, meaning he could be got on the cheap with a short-term contract loaded with incentives rather than multiple years of guaranteed money.
Wilson to the Raiders makes sense for a number of reasons, but Carroll made it clear whoever's their quarterback will need the right support to flourish.
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“There’s is a way to embrace the challenge the quarterback has for the rest of the football team as well,” Carroll said.
“We need to support our guy, and we need to do what we can to make that work. It’s really about making a great football team around the quarterback position.”
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