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The Las Vegas Raiders were linked to quarterback Sam Darnold earlier this offseason, both in rumors and speculation.
The connection to Darnold made sense. After all, the Raiders were in desperate need of an upgrade at quarterback, and Darnold was widely considered the best player available at the position on the open market.
However, the team ultimately decided to trade for former Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Geno Smith, and Darnold ended up replacing Smith in Seattle.
As it turns out, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wanted no part of signing Darnold, according to The Athletic's Michael Silver.
"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," Silver said.
Brady was expected to have a big say in what the Raiders did this offseason, especially at quarterback. Chances are, if he didn't want Darnold, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback wasn't going to be signed.
It's not hard to see why Brady had some doubts. Darnold did have a tremendous year with the Vikings in 2024, but that was also an outlier for him and he remains largely unproven entering his first season with the Seahawks.
Meanwhile, at least Smith has multiple solid seasons under his belt, including Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and 2023.
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