On a night when he more typically might be preparing for the AFC championship game, Tom Brady turned up Saturday in Las Vegas, where he sat Octagon-side for the Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone fight. Over the weekend, there were developments, with Brady indicating that he considering all possibilities and a possible job opening in Los Angeles, with Philip Rivers announcing that he had moved his family to Florida.
“I’m open-minded about the process,” Brady said when asked in his weekly Westwood One interview about whether he would play elsewhere. “At the same time, I love playing football and I want to continue to play and do a great job. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead. Whatever the future may bring, I’ll embrace it with open arms.”
This being Brady, who can become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career on March 18, that appearance, coupled with his public chat with Raiders owner Mark Davis at the arena, only fueled speculation that began the moment he walked off the field at Gillette Stadium after a first-round playoff loss on Jan. 4.
Although it’s entirely possible he ends up in New England at age 43 for his 21st NFL season, he’s going to dominate another offseason, albeit it in a way that is unfamiliar to him. One possible landing spot for him has been a team in need of a glittering superstar. A team like, say, the Raiders, who are going to be playing for the first time in Las Vegas. Or the Chargers, who will open play in the ritzy $6 billion stadium they’ll share with the Rams in Los Angeles. Both of those teams entered the speculation over the weekend.
Brady chatted up Davis in Las Vegas after the fight, most likely keeping their conversation light because of the NFL’s anti-tampering rules. A comment by Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock, who didn’t seem to rule out making a change from Derek Carr, only deepened the speculation.
“My job is to evaluate every position and try to make us better,” Mayock told The Athletic before the fight, “and if I can, I will, and if I can’t, I won’t.”
Another possible destination for Brady could be Los Angeles, with Rivers, who can also become a free agent, recently moving with his wife and nine kids to Florida. Rivers, who has been the Chargers’ quarterback since 2006, confirmed the move to ESPN on Sunday. Although he wasn’t entirely sure what the move meant for the future, he did use the word “permanently” to describe it.
BROWNS: Cleveland interviewed Vikings Assistant General Manger George Paton for their GM opening, a person familiar with the team’s itinerary told The Associated Press.
PANTHERS: Phil Snow is rejoining head coach Matt Rhule in Carolina as the new Panthers defensive coordinator.
Snow previously served as defensive coordinator under Rhule at Baylor from 2017-19 and Temple from 2013-16.
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