Darren Waller Reveals Tom Brady To Raiders In 2020 'Was A Lock' Before Jon Gruden Stepped In
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller opened up about some interesting topics recently, notably Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
Waller spoke to Forbes and revealed some very compelling information, including how close Tom Brady came to joining the team in 2020.
“I’ve heard it from multiple sources that I respect and I’ve been close to,” Waller told Forbes. “They’re like, ‘Yeah, Brady to the Raiders was a lock.’”
Following Brady's departure from New England, several teams appeared in the mix for the future Hall of Famer. One of them, of course, was the Raiders. But at the time, head coach Jon Gruden didn't want Brady and elected to stick with Derek Carr.
Head coach Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders greets tight end Darren Waller as he stretches during warmups. Did Gruden prevent Tom Brady from becoming a Raider? (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Gruden would probably say that he thought Brady physically was done at the time, but the more likely reason is that Gruden wants to get the credit for his success. If the Raiders won a Super Bowl with Brady, the quarterback would have gotten the credit.
Ultimately, Gruden went 22-31 in his second tenure with the Raiders, getting fired after his emails leaked to the media.
It worked out for Brady, obviously, as he went to Tampa Bay and won his seventh Super Bowl. It did not work out for the Raiders, who have not won a playoff game since 2002 and now Derek Carr is also gone.
Darren Waller weighs in on Las Vegas Raiders next quarterback
As for who will replace Carr, Waller said he is not privy to those discussions.
“I have no idea,” Waller said. “I have no input. So I’m waiting to see what happens just like everyone else.”
That's interesting since Davante Adams previously said that he wants to have input on the team's next quarterback. If they're not involving Waller at all, it's hard to imagine they're involving Adams. Though, Adams has made it fairly clear who he wants the Raiders to target: Aaron Rodgers.
Darren Waller is hoping for a Davante Adams-Aaron Rodgers reunion with the Las Vegas Raiders. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Waller weighed in on Rodgers, too.
“Anybody who’s ever played football would be on board with Aaron Rodgers coming to the team,” Waller said. “If he comes to the team, I will not be disappointed.”
"Will not be disappointed" is probably the understatement of the year.
It remains to be seen where Rodgers will end up, but Darren Waller and Davante Adams are surely hoping it's in Las Vegas.