Tom Brady just couldn’t let the Jets go in latest QB power play

Tom Brady just can’t seem to quit his New York Jets connections.

Whether he’s spitting on a Sauce Gardner jersey in front of a crowd at Fanatics Fest or reportedly vetoing the Las Vegas Raiders’ pursuit of former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, Brady continues to find new ways to needle his longtime AFC East rivals, even in retirement.

The latter example comes from a report by The Athletic’s Mike Silver in which Brady, now a minority owner of the Raiders, made it clear to his team that he wasn’t interested in adding Darnold this offseason. The Raiders instead pivoted to another former Jets quarterback in Geno Smith.

Yes, really. Darnold and Smith, two of the bigger quarterback busts in recent Jets history, became central figures in Brady’s latest power move. And of course, he’s faced both in his playing days.

Coincidence? Yeah probably. But at this point, it’s hard not to wonder if Brady just enjoys keeping his foot on the throat of his former Jets enemies.

Tom Brady can't seem to escape his Jets ties

The idea of Brady being involved in quarterback decisions for the Raiders is fascinating enough. It's always interesting to see just how much power he possesses. But when those decisions revolve around former Jets quarterbacks, it takes on an entirely different tone.

Brady faced both Darnold and Smith during his playing days, and while neither was seen as a serious threat to the Brady-led Patriots, one of those matchups is especially infamous in Jets lore. We're talking about the infamous “seeing ghosts” game.

On a forgettable Monday night in 2019, Darnold was mic’d up during a disastrous performance against the Patriots and was caught on national television admitting that he was "seeing ghosts." That was Brady’s final season in New England, and it’s fair to speculate if that game factored into his decision-making at all.

Is it possible Brady’s judgment on Darnold had a little extra bias baked in? We’ll probably never know for sure. But between this and his antics at Fanatics Fest, it's clear that the Jets connections will follow Brady wherever he goes.

If anything, retirement has only given him more creative ways to troll them. And while Geno Smith’s Raiders story has yet to be written, one thing is certain. Tom Brady may not play for the Patriots anymore, but he’s still finding new ways to haunt his former Jets adversaries.

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