Although the Raiders didn't really give any consideration to signing Darnold, they did end up adding a veteran quarterback when they made a trade for Geno Smith in March. The Raiders sent a 2025 third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Smith, who will be reuniting with new Raiders coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas.

Tom Brady may have influenced the Las Vegas Raiders' decision not to pursue Sam Darnold in free agency. According to The Athletic's Michael Silver, Brady "was not in favor" of the Raiders attempting to sign Darnold.

A call from the top prevented Sam Darnold from landing in Las Vegas. Las Vegas minority owner Tom Brady persuaded the Raiders not to sign the quarterback, according to The Athletic’s Michael Silver. Brady “was not in favor of that approach” Silver wrote,

Former NFL New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, got quite the surprise yesterday when he was attacked by fellow ex-quarterback and longtime rival at Fanatics Fest

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski had a memorable reunion with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. A video from NFL insider Jordan Schultz shows Brady and Gronkowski breaking what appeared to be a replica of the trophy while playing a game of catch in a hallway during Fanatics Fest in New York City.