Raiders quarterback 2023: Is it worth signing Tom Brady?

He’s The GOAT but is he slipping?

The last image of Tom Brady we saw on a football field was not a good one.

Brady looked out of sync and uncomfortable in a home blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Brady completed just 53 percent of his passes and threw an interception in the end zone when the game was still in question. His passer’s rating in the 31-14 defeat was just 72.2.

Brady, of course, is the greatest NFL quarterback of all-time. So, he surely gets a pass for this outing. Yet, his performance in that game is relevant for his future.

If Brady comes back for the 2023 season, he will be doing at the age of 46. There were points this season in which Brady showed some signs of slippage. Is he getting close to the end? Can he be counted on to be high-performing starting quarterback next seasons?

These, of course, are things the Las Vegas Raiders have to weight as they try to find an upgrade from Derek Carr, who will be leaving the franchise after being the starting quarterback for the past nine seasons.

There have been multiple reports that the Raiders will be interested in Brady, who is a free agent. We understand why.

Las Vegas owner Mark Davis wanted Brady when he was a free agent three years ago and Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and Brady were together in New England for several years along with several members of the Raiders’ current organization.

So, all the dots connect. But does it make sense right now? This isn’t 2020. And this isn’t the dynasty Patriots days.

It’s 2023 and the Raiders have to make a pivotal (and correct) decision at the most important position on the field all the while filling major needs on the offensive line and all layers of the defense.

Is Brady the right guy right now?

He will likely only play for one or two more years. Is this a Super Bowl winning roster with Brady being added to it?

He would surely love the team’s offensive weapons. But Brady needs a much better offensive line than the Raiders had in 2022 and a weak defense wouldn’t do him much good, either.

Again, this is all up to McDaniels and Las Vegas general manager Dave Ziegler. They have to figure out what the best approach is.

Maybe it’s another bridge quarterback. Maybe it a rookie quarterback.

But again, maybe it’s Brady. Again, the temptation is real and it is understandable, but is signing Brady really the move that makes the most sense?

I have my doubts and if the Raiders do this and it doesn’t work, it will be a big step backward and it would likely signal the end of McDaniels and Ziegler’s time in Las Vegas as well as the end of Brady’s career.