- Tom Brady is the best NFL quarterback of all time, winning seven Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- 17 months ago, Brady bid to be a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders, but his job as a broadcaster for Fox caused some concern among owners.
- The NFL and its owners eventually approved Brady’s bid, with restrictions pertaining to his Fox role.
Tom Brady played in the NFL for 23 seasons, 20 of those in New England, and three with Tampa Bay. The former sixth-round pick went on to become the greatest quarterback ever. Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, and one with the Buccaneers.
Brady has moved into the next stage of his NFL career, as he is currently a broadcaster on Fox. However, 17 months ago, he applied to become a minority investor in the Las Vegas Raiders. On Tuesday, October 15, it was announced that Brady’s bid had been approved by the NFL and its owners.
Brady Approved, But Some Owners Had Concerns About His Job on Fox
Following an owners’ meeting on Tuesday, it was reported that NFL owners approved Brady’s minority purchase in the Raiders.
Brady then released a statement, via his X account:
This process began back in May 2023, when it was reported that Brady reached an agreement to buy a minority ownership stake in the Raiders. The amount of the stake wasn’t revealed at the time, but USA Today reports that the stake is 5%. Sports Illustrated reports that Brady and a partner had a 10% stake.
But there were some NFL owners that were concerned with Brady’s job as an analyst for Fox, where he signed a 10-year deal worth $375 million. The matter was that Brady would have access to teams whose games he was working on, which he could, in theory, take back to the Raiders.
Clark Hunt, who owns the Kansas City Chiefs, who are in the AFC West with the Raiders, said:
"I think a lot of owners around the league felt that was a potential conflict. It's hard to know whether it will be an actual conflict, but it can be a potential conflict or perceived conflict."
That led to the NFL putting restrictions on Brady while he works for Fox.
Brady can’t be in another team’s facility or watch practice, attend productions meetings, criticize referees, and he has to adhere to the NFL’s anti-tampering and gambling policies.
But the ESPN report claims that the Dallas Cowboys would like Brady to be in those production meetings, where broadcasters talk to coaches before the game. This would allow Brady to give context to the viewers on why a team did something a certain way.
How Much Say Will Brady Have in Las Vegas?
Brady has somewhere between a 5-10% stake in the Raiders, and usually, that would mean they don’t have much of a say.
But Raiders’ majority owner Mark Davis said:
“Although Tom can’t play, I think he can help us select a quarterback in the future, and potentially train as well”.
The Raiders have a tough situation at quarterback right now with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. It would seem that is the main reason star receiver Davante Adams wanted to be traded as far back as October 2023. Adams was traded to the New York Jets on Tuesday, reuniting him with his quarterback in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers. The Raiders are likely dropping at NFL betting sites even more now.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Brady navigates his broadcasting restrictions (which he has had since he started with Fox and has followed), with his stake in the Raiders. It feels like one or the other has to go, but Tom Brady is a winner, and knows to handle tough situations.
