Tom Brady to AFC West generates a lot of smoke

There’s a lot of smoke around the idea of Tom Brady joining the AFC West with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.

It’s time for another round of meaningless acquisitions on the part of AFC West teams in their hopes to upend the Kansas City Chiefs atop the division. This year’s carousel of activity—a ride that truly goes nowhere at all—is anchored in the most popular player in NFL history in Tom Brady. Too bad for the Las Vegas Raiders that it still won’t make a difference.

For now, however, we can’t fault fans of an opposing team for thinking that Brady might be a good addition under center. He is the most decorated quarterback to ever play the game and he has a Super Bowl ring that’s newer than the one worn by Patrick Mahomes. There are arguments to be made here, in other words.

Of course, nothing is a done deal at this stage. In fact, it’s all conjecture and projection without an ounce of substance. It’s just that it’s rather easy to connect some dots here. The Raiders’ head coach, Josh McDaniels, is Brady’s former offensive coordinator in New England. The Raiders also have a nice array of weapons already in-hand with running back Josh Jacobs (if franchised/re-signed), tight end Darren Waller, and receivers like Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow.

The Raiders have already waved goodbye to their starting quarterback and franchise face of the last nine years in Derek Carr, so something significant will happen at the position. And the Raiders could still draft a young player early in the draft and sign Brady. In fact, having a year to learn behind a mentor like Brady could work wonders for the team’s future.

It’s possible that Brady retires or that he returns to the Bucs for another season. It’s also possible that another team lures him in, and there are other franchises that make sense. However, it seems most fans and analysts see a lot of smoke here, which makes you wonder whether there’s really a fire.

First, they are already one of the teams with the best odds to land him.

From there it just feels right to some that Brady ends up in the desert.