AFC West Notes: Raiders, Chiefs, Harbaugh

Tom Brady‘s playing days are officially over, as his near-two-year odyssey toward becoming a Raiders part-owner is now complete. Brady’s broadcasting restrictions remain firmly in place, and a note coming out of Tuesday’s approval (h/t Bleacher Report) indicates Brady is prohibited from publicly criticizing officials and other clubs. That will make his Sunday FOX gig quite challenging, as the now-Raiders-affiliated broadcaster already cannot attend practices, appear at other teams’ facilities or take part in virtual or in-person pregame production meetings with personnel from the teams he will cover that week. Brady is also subject to the league’s anti-tampering policy, as all coaches and execs are. Nevertheless, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes Brady’s Raiders stake purchase was approved 32-0 by owners Tuesday.

The subject of Brady’s participation regarding ownership has gone from “passive” to rumors he will play a big role as a part-owner. Mark Davis offered a hint the latter path will come to fruition, indicating (via NFL.com’s Judy Battista) Brady can help the Raiders select their quarterback of the future. Brady playing a central role in player acquisitions would certainly be of interest, as the Raiders just hired a new GM (Tom Telesco). It will be interesting to see how much input the Raiders want Brady to provide their football-ops department.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

• As the Jets and Bills took their wide receiver swings Tuesday, the Chiefs have thus far stood pat. The two-time defending champions have gotten by — thanks largely to a reliable defense — with holdovers. Scheme familiarity remains a priority for the Chiefs, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who writes Kansas City has not been overly active in the receiver market thus far. The Chiefs have been linked to DeAndre Hopkins, whom they pursued in a 2023 trade and later in free agency that summer, and Jaguars slot cog Christian Kirk. Thus far, no traction has (knowingly) occurred. The Chiefs saw reacquisition Mecole Hardman catch the Super Bowl LVIII game-winning pass and just observed JuJu Smith-Schuster — re-signed shortly after his Patriots release — post 130 yards against the Saints. It could then be realistic the Chiefs re-sign the recently cut Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the cheap. Though, the Marquise Brown– and Rashee Rice-less team still has a deep threat — in first-rounder Xavier Worthy. A higher-profile add should still be considered in play before the November 5 deadline.
• While the Chargers might be more likely to deviate from their Telesco-era pattern of not acquiring players at the deadline, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes Jim Harbaugh‘s high salary stands to contribute to how the organization proceeds. The Bolts are 27th in cash spent on players this year, as Harbaugh is on a five-year, $80MM deal. Coaching contracts, of course, do not factor into the salary cap, but those expenses are part of a team’s cash outlay. The Bolts, who obtained Taylor Heinicke and Elijah Molden via trade in August, also figure to pay more attention than usual to compensatory selections. After all, GM Joe Hortiz comes from the comp pick-obsessed Ravens. If a buyer’s trade does commence, it should be expected the return will be a low-cost performer.
• Harbaugh needed to leave the sideline for a medical evaluation in Week 6, and while the new Bolts HC returned not long after, he confirmed the exit was due to an atrial flutter episode. As a result, the 60-year-old coach will wear a heart monitor for two weeks before a reevaluation commences, Popper tweets.
• Similar to Harbaugh’s penalty for his Michigan violations, Raiders HC Antonio Pierce received a show-cause penalty stemming from recruiting infractions while he was at Arizona State. While Harbaugh’s show-cause penalty covers four years, Pierce’s spans eight. Due to recruiting violations during a COVID-19 dead period, a school that hires Pierce over the next eight years would need to suspend him for the first full season. Pierce’s lack of cooperation with the NCAA during its investigation since he resigned from the then-Pac-12 program (just before his Raiders arrival) contributed to the penalty.
• In addition to Brady, owners approved Pistons owner Tom Gores‘ Chargers stake. Gores purchased a 27% stake in the Dean Spanos-owned franchise, which has been in the Spanos family since 1984.