There’s been a lot of chaos within the Las Vegas Raiders since the firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler on Halloween night. However, one aspect that gets lost in this mess is, where’s Tom Brady?
In May, Raiders owner Mark Davis acknowledged there was an agreement with Tom Brady for him to become a minority owner. The former New England Patriots star was a presence at preseason games. Since then, his existence has been relatively quiet. Sure—he could be pulling strings behind the scenes, but at some point, he needs to come out of the shadows.
The complicated path to ownership
When Brady and Davis reached an agreement, it was pending NFL approval. Even though it’s a minority stake, the other owners have concerns about the conflict of interest this represents. The seven-time Super Bowl winner signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports that should begin next year.
NFL Insider Tom Pelissero explained why other owners have concerns about Brady being in the booth where he can criticize their team. Afterward, the former quarterback can step out and sit in the ownership box alongside Davis.
“It would be an unprecedented situation to have somebody who’s a part owner of one team doing production meetings and calling games on other teams,” Pelissero said on Friday’s edition of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “And so there’s no certainty at this point that Tom Brady’s purchase will ever get through, at least not without some modifications or potential changes to what his role would be at Fox.”
Tom Brady might have to choose: Raiders or Fox?
After retiring in early 2023, Brady is taking the year off. Still, eventually, he will need to pick a post-playing career. But as Pelissero notes, unless there are changes that allow him to be the Raiders minority owner and a color commentator, he might be backed into a corner.
“[The NFL owners] didn’t discuss it at the October meeting,” Pelissero added. “We’ll see if that changes at the December league meeting. Otherwise, you’re talking about going through this entire season without that actually becoming final.
“At some point, you have to wonder whether No. 1 Tom Brady will never become a part owner of the Raiders or No. 2 Tom Brady will never actually be in a booth at Fox.”
Raiders fans have been put through the wringer with Davis making the decisions. Las Vegas must decide on Antonio Pierce as their head coach and Champ Kelly for the general manager position. Could having a say in molding the future be enough for Brady to choose the Raiders over Fox?
For the fan base’s sake, having another voice, especially Brady’s, could be helpful. If the Silver and Black wanted to emulate the Patriot Way, they could do so by having the source of that success.
*Top Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
