Timing is right for Brady to join ownership group
It can be a humbling moment when a peer becomes your boss.
But it’s probably on the horizon for Josh McDaniels, Jimmy Garoppolo, and about a dozen ex-Patriots who now play for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Their soon-to-be boss has seven Super Bowl rings. Tom Brady has coveted a seat at the NFL ownership table, and it appears his goal is about to be realized, now that he has retired from football and is no longer tethered to the Buccaneers.
According to ESPN, Brady is in “deep discussions” to buy a limited share of the Raiders as he strengthens his partnership with majority owner Mark Davis. Brady would be a “passive” investor, per the report, with no authority over business or football matters. Brady also became an investor in Davis’s Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA two months ago.
For the Raiders deal to be completed, Brady must be vetted and approved by 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners, just like any other ownership candidate, per a league source.
Brady, 45, attempted to buy into NFL ownership a year ago, having a deal lined up with Miami Dolphins owners Stephen Ross and Bruce Beal to buy a small stake and join the team’s front office. But the deal was blown up by Brian Flores’s workplace discrimination lawsuit, and Brady decided to return to the Bucs to play one last season.
With McDaniels benching Derek Carr last December, and Brady becoming a free agent this offseason, it appeared the stars were aligning for Brady to play quarterback for the Raiders in 2023. Instead, apparently, it was for him to join the team’s ownership group.
Davis has been courting Brady since 2020, when Brady left the Patriots and became a free agent. It got close enough that Brady and Rob Gronkowski were looking for houses in Las Vegas, per UFC’s Dana White, but then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden squashed it, leading Brady to sign with the Buccaneers instead.
But with Gruden gone, and the Raiders now essentially being “Patriots West” with general manager Dave Ziegler, McDaniels, and Garoppolo the three main figures on the team, Las Vegas became an obvious landing spot for Brady.
Of course, the potential deal raises two big questions:
1. Does Brady still plan on going through with his 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports?
2. Could he still play football if he wanted to?
As to the first question, ESPN reports that Fox has “blessed” Brady’s arrangement with the Raiders, and the NFL apparently would be OK with Brady calling games for Fox since he wouldn’t hold positions of authority with the Raiders or network. Brady has said he plans to begin his TV contract in 2024.
For the second question, a league source said Brady would either have to sell or transfer his ownership stake if he wants to play again. Or he could seek approval from 24 owners to have a dual role as owner and quarterback.
It’s not crazy to think Brady could get the itch to play again come August or September.
That said, if Brady wanted to leave his options open for playing this fall, it would be a lot easier to just not buy a stake in the Raiders. He could extricate himself from it if he really wanted to, but it’s likely a sign that Brady truly is done with football and is ready for the next phase of his life — as a businessman.