Tom Brady may be a Michigan man but he apparently likes those with USC ties, too.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that he expects the Raiders — for whom Brady is a minority owner — to make a play for Sam Darnold to be their starting quarterback in free agency.
Acquiring Darnold would give the Raiders a pair of Trojans leading the team as the 27-year-old quarterback played for USC before being drafted third overall by the Jets in 2018, while new head coach Pete Carroll was at the helm for the program from 2001 to 2009.
“I think the Raiders are going to make a play for Sam Darnold,” Schefter said on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “I think Sam Darnold is a candidate to be the Raiders’ quarterback. We’ll see whether Minnesota lets him go or not, but let’s see if that works out with Sam Darnold winding up in Vegas.”
The Raiders are attempting to re-shape their franchise with Brady’s input and their biggest area of need is at the game’s most important position.
The Aidan O’Connell-Gardner Minshew pairing did not work last season, and it will be hard to compete in a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix without a solid option under center.
The Raiders own the No. 6 pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft in April, but the top two options in Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders may be gone by then, and this year’s quarterback class is considered underwhelming.
That could leave Brady and owner Mark Davis looking for free agents, and Darnold, should he become a free agent, will be the best of a group that will also include Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Darnold revitalized his career by throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record, looking nothing — for most of the season, at least — like the Jets version who saw ghosts.
The big question, though, is whether the Vikings let him hit free agency.
Minnesota can use the franchise tag, transition tag or sign Darnold to an extension, but they believed they drafted their franchise quarterback last year when they selected J.J. McCarthy.
Having a cheap, good quarterback is usually an advantage under the NFL’s salary cap.
The Vikings thus have a tough call regarding whether they can just move on from a quarterback who led them to a 14-3 record, although his flameouts in Week 18 and the wild-card round may make that easier.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell indicated that Minnesota is aware Darnold may be one and done, although he would welcome him back with open arms.
“I believe Sam has kind of played himself into being probably the marquee free-agent quarterback available,” O’Connell told CBS last week. “I do believe that his teammates and coaches and our front office and myself, we would love to have Sam back in Minnesota. But at the same time, we do feel very confident in J.J. McCarthy. He’s healthy. We drafted him 10th overall for a reason.”
