Raiders sign former teammate of Tom Brady amid links to QB

The Las Vegas Raiders may be thinking a couple of steps ahead with the roster move that they made this week.

ESPN’s Field Yates reported on Wednesday that the Raiders have signed wide receiver Tyler Johnson to a reserve/futures deal. Johnson’s contract will thus kick in on the first day of the new league year (March 15).

Johnson, 24, was a fifth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. He won the Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the Bucs in his rookie season, catching 12 total passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson then had a more productive sophomore year with 36 catches for 360 yards. He was waived by the Bucs prior to the 2022 campaign, had a brief stint with the Houston Texans and then re-signed to Tampa Bay’s practice squad this past October.

The Johnson signing comes amid a recent report that the Raiders, who are moving on from Derek Carr and have Brady’s old offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their coach, are confident in their chances of landing Brady. Bringing in one of Brady’s familiar targets can’t hurt one’s odds either.