Tom Brady

Raiders Lukewarm On Free Agent QBs, Still Looking Into Trades

March 7th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

An aggressive Matthew Stafford push did not land the Raiders the Super Bowl-winning quarterback, putting them in a similar position to a handful of teams entering free agency. The Raiders need a 2025 starter, and they do not appear overly eager to pay one in free agency.

The Raiders were deep in talks with the Rams signal-caller about a deal that would have paid him at least $90MM guaranteed. Considering Stafford’s age, that pursuit both reflects the Raiders’ view of his talent and their lukewarm assessment of this year’s free agent class. Indeed, the Raiders are not believed to be high on Sam Darnold or the rest of the free agent QBs, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed report (subscription required).

Although the Raiders came up short on Stafford, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes they are still talking to teams about QBs via trade. There are not many starters who could conceivably be had, though two have ties to the Raiders. The Seahawks have started Geno Smith extension talks; the QB’s price will dictate how eager the team is to complete a deal. Smith, of course, played five seasons for Pete Carroll and started the final two. The Saints are planning to keep Derek Carr, but he did come up as a potential trade chip earlier this offseason.

A Carr trade back to Las Vegas would be shocking. Still, there are not many other names who would make sense as a trade chip. The Cardinals’ current regime has praised Kyler Murray consistently, even as it did not authorize his current contract, and Trevor Lawrence-Steelers buzz was roundly debunked. The Raiders, who hold the No. 6 pick and have been mentioned as a Cam Ward suitor (via trade-up), may well need to acquire their bridge in free agency.

Vegas has been tied to Darnold, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson thus far this offseason. Wilson created a Hall of Fame case while playing for Carroll, and while the former Pro Bowler reportedly tried to have Carroll fired from his post in 2022, the sides have mended fences. The gap between Stafford’s talent and this group is substantial, though, and an Aaron Rodgers partnership — rumored in the past — would occur when the QB is near the end.

As expected, Tom Brady is “heavily involved” in the Raiders’ offseason so far, Reed tweets. His ski meeting with Stafford certainly signaled the new Raiders part-owner was running point on this effort, as Mark Davis said he would. Brady was also in the building when Maxx Crosby signed his extension, Reed adds. Brady’s fingerprints figure to be on the Raiders’ free agency effort soon. That process may well send a QB to Vegas, but the draft will loom as an avenue the team will thoroughly explore (once again) as well.

One name to monitor for the Raiders is Jalen Milroe, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore indicates the team remains intrigued with the Alabama product. Milroe is viewed as a player who could be available in the second round. Milroe’s 2024 season checked in worse than his 2023 output.

Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board does not include him, and ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks the two-year Crimson Tide starter 66th overall — as the No. 5 QB in this class. A bridge to Milroe would almost definitely be required, and it could be a full-season effort if the Raiders again fail to come out of a first round with a passer.

Tom Brady Ramps Up Raiders’ Pursuit Of Matthew Stafford

February 26th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Matthew Stafford saga is growing more complicated by the hour, with multiple (and conflicting) reports of Tom Brady meeting with Stafford on a recent ski trip in Montana.

It was originally reported that Brady had reached out to Stafford about joining the Raiders, but subsequent reporting has provided more clarity on the situation.

Brady hosted Stafford in Montana as part of his ongoing efforts to recruit the veteran quarterback to Las Vegas, who are expected to be “the most aggressive suitor,” per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. That report was disputed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who said that Brady and Stafford “ran into each other” in an unplanned meeting. Schultz followed up on his original report, adding that “Brady has been leading the charge to get him to the Raiders if the Rams decide to trade him.”

Since Stafford has been given permission to speak with other teams, it’s unlikely that Brady’s actions would run afoul of the NFL’s anti-tampering rules. If Brady’s contact came before the Rams granted that permission, though, the Raiders could face an investigation and potential discipline for the infraction. The Falcons forfeited a fifth-round pick and paid a $250K fine for tampering with multiple free agents last year. Chief among them was another veteran quarterback: Kirk Cousins.

Stafford’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, has also been meeting with interested teams at the Combine this week, including the Giants, according to Schultz and The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. The Giants have been repeatedly linked to Stafford, even dating back to the 2024 trade deadline. While they may not be willing to deal the No. 3 overall pick to acquire the veteran quarterback, general manager Joe Schoen has made it clear that finding a new quarterback is his priority this offseason.

The Stafford situation remains fluid. Sean McVay expressed his desire to retain his Super Bowl-winning quarterback, but other teams are clearly circling. After assessing his market, Stafford will likely give the Rams a chance to meet his financial demands. If they refuse, he seems poised to force his way out of Los Angeles, with Las Vegas and New York leading the list of potential destinations.

Sean McVay Wants Matthew Stafford Back; Tom Brady Reaches Out On Raiders’ Behalf

February 26th, 2025 at 9:53am CST by Sam Robinson

9:53am: After attracting significant interest — particularly from the Raiders and Giants — since being allowed to talk with other teams, Stafford may end up costing more. Teams are anticipating, in light of the interest the talented quarterback has generated, the Rams will up their asking price in trades, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. They have already been connected to seeking at least a first-round pick.

9:05am: The Rams have let Matthew Stafford speak with other teams, even as the veteran quarterback has not requested a trade. As the sides attempt to use this process to determine the Super Bowl-winning passer’s value, Stafford has been linked to a few teams. But a future in which he stays in Los Angeles on an adjusted contract remains in play.

Linked to wanting Stafford to stay, Sean McVay confirmed that stance at the Combine. The ninth-year Rams HC would prefer the team and Stafford find common contractual ground to move forward in a fifth season together.

“When you talk about the elephant in the room, these are the things that are really challenging,” McVay told Amazon’s Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick during an appearance on the retirees’ Fitz & Whit podcast (via NFL.com). “Because there’s no discrepancy on us wanting him to continue to lead the way and be our quarterback. The interesting and the challenging dilemma and dynamics within this are, hey, how do you continuously as a head coach look at the short term and the long term and be able to figure out what does that really look like?

“You have to be able to say, hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he’s getting what is his worth relative to those things? So, at the end of the day, we had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong. And then ultimately you’re saying there’s a ton of interest because this guy is an incredible player.”

After agreeing to a restructure last summer, Stafford has been tied to seeking $50MM per year this offseason. The Rams are not believed to be eyeing a payment on this level, creating this polite impasse of sorts. While the team wants its QB back in the fold, it will depend on what Stafford will accept contractually and what kind of trade offers emerge. Although Stafford leaving would gut the Rams, he is effectively a high-end bridge QB at this point in his career. Stafford is heading into his age-37 season, and the Rams need a long-term answer.

The Giants, Browns, Steelers and Raiders have been mentioned as Stafford suitors. The Giants are not believed to be open to trading the No. 3 overall pick for Stafford, but the Rams would seek at least a first-round pick for the 17th-year veteran. The Raiders are doing some work on him, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore reports Tom Brady has contacted Stafford on the Silver and Black’s behalf.

Las Vegas both has a glaring QB need and plenty of cap space, being projected to carry more than $99MM — the second-most in the NFL. The Raiders, however, are not close to where the Rams are in terms of competitiveness; they have missed the past three playoff brackets and have not won a playoff game since the 2002 AFC championship. Stafford does not hold a no-trade clause, but the nature of this situation points to Vegas brass needing to sell Stafford on competitive viability while also agreeing to a deal carrying a $50MM-plus AAV.

The Raiders have also been connected to Sam Darnold and potentially reuniting Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson. A trade-up for Cameron Ward has also surfaced at multiple points, as the Raiders hold the No. 6 pick. A Stafford trade would probably lead the Raiders to delay a QB draft choice beyond 2025, but the Rams are still conducting this fact-finding mission re: their starter’s value.

“There does have to be an element of understanding, well, what does that future look like without this freakin’ G who’s been our quarterback for the last four years?” McVay said. “And there’s no wrong or right way to go about it, but I do think for us to be able to make the most educated decision in terms of the cash budget that we operate on, the draft comp that you would get in return, you just need to be able to have all the parameters to at least explore it.”

Raiders Rumors: Telesco, Davis, Brady, Pierce, Carroll, Belichick, Leonard

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a playoff win drought of more than 20 years, Raiders owner Mark Davis was hoping that adding Tom Brady to the ownership group would result in a transformative offseason.

Indeed, Brady was a key voice in the Raiders’ decisions to fire head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, as well as the team’s subsequent search processes to fill both positions, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. Las Vegas ultimately hired Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as general manager, but Brady will continue to play a role in football operations.

Davis praised Pierce’s locker room leadership, but finishing in last place in the AFC West for the first time since 2018 was too much for the 46-year-old coach to overcome. “We just felt it was time for a change,” said Davis (via Reed).

Davis was satisfied with Telesco’s 2024 draft class, which featured star tight end Brock Bowers in the first round and starting offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze on Day 2. However, Davis hinted that he was disappointed with Telesco’s free agency signings in the offseason, which included a massive four-year, $110MM contract for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

Wilkins played in just five games with two sacks before suffering a Jones fracture in his foot that would require season-ending surgery. The Raiders’ other major signing, quarterback Gardner Minshew, similarly failed to live up to his two-year, $25MM deal. He posted a passer rating of 81.0 before a broken collarbone ended his season. Pierce had benched Minshew on multiple occasions prior to that injury, effectively ensuring the veteran QB would not be back in 2025.

The list goes on: Alexander Mattison (one year, $2MM) averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, while veteran offensive linemen Cody Whitehair (one year, $2.5MM) and Andrus Peat (one year, $2MM) combined for just four starts. Wide receiver signings Michael Gallup (one year, $1.75MM) and Jalen Guyton (one year, $1.29MM) were not on the team’s 53-man roster by the time the regular season started.

Telesco choosing Bowers, who went on to break Mike Ditka‘s 63-year-old record for rookie tight end yardage, only to be fired after one season does seem a bit hasty. At the time of the ouster, it was reported Brady and Davis decided to start fresh to align the team’s next HC and GM. Telesco has been fired twice in 13 months, after seeing a 63-21 Raiders demolition over the Chargers end his stay in Los Angeles. Telesco and Pierce butted heads on the quarterback issue, which effectively went unaddressed — as far as the big picture is concerned — much to the coach’s chagrin.

As Davis did in December, Carroll confirmed Brady will have a significant role in helping the Raiders identify a quarterback. Viewed by most as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is now operating in a historically unusual dual role — lead FOX announcer and Raiders part-owner/personnel exec. Brady, 47, is not leaving FOX after this season; the 23-year veteran QB will try to balance these roles moving forward.

“We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us,” Carroll said, via Reed and The Athletic colleague Vic Tafur. “And we’re going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can. Because nobody has the insights that he has.”

Davis had eyed Brady to fill a football ops role after Jon Gruden “had his head chopped off,” referring to the latter’s forced resignation in light of the problematic emails that surfaced in 2021 as part of the NFL’s Dan Snyder investigation. Gruden remains embroiled in a lawsuit against the NFL, while Brady and ex-college teammate and Buccaneers coworker Spytek will work together to help rebuild the Raiders.

The Raiders were briefly connected to Bill Belichick to team with Brady, but those rumors did not get far off the ground. Belichick signed his North Carolina contract, and while the $10MM buyout is not believed to have proved to be much of an issue for NFL teams, six jobs are now gone. One going to Carroll, who is seven months older than Belichick, may not be sitting too well with an eight-time Super Bowl winner who passed on a second NFL carousel ride to preemptively enter the college ranks. Talk in NFL circles pointed to Belichick not being pleased about the Raiders hiring Carroll, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes.

While the Raiders moving the bar for oldest head coach ever hired (by seven years) could reopen the door for Belichick, his passing on an aggressive NFL push now will still make matters difficult if he decides to do so in 2026. Belichick would turn 74 before Week 1 of the ’26 season. Carroll is in place as a short-term Raiders fix; it will be interesting to see how Belichick fares in a similar role in Chapel Hill.

Carroll already retained Patrick Graham as DC, and he will keep Rob Leonard in place as D-line coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Raiders interviewed Leonard for the DC post, and they are adding an additional title — that of run-game coordinator — to his duties for the 2025 season. Leonard has previously coached with the Giants, Dolphins and Ravens.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post

Raiders Never Offered Ben Johnson HC Job; Latest On Team’s Pete Carroll Setup

January 28th, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pete Carroll confirmed Tom Brady was “intricately involved” in the Raiders’ coaching search. The hiring of ex-Brady Michigan teammate and Buccaneers staffer John Spytek confirmed the part-owner’s role in the GM pursuit. This plan may have been Brady’s backup, as reports of a long-running Ben Johnson push emerged.

Brady began scouting Johnson when he covered a Week 9 Lions-Packers game for FOX, and he made a big push to bring the former Detroit OC to Las Vegas. A big offer was believed to have been in play prior to Johnson signing on with the Bears. Although we may never know how closely the Raiders were to landing Johnson, Mark Davis attempted to provide some pushback to the notion he turned them down.

While it can be safely assumed that had Johnson wanted to be the Raiders’ next HC he would be, Davis said (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez) he did not offer the job to the high-profile play-caller. Instead of a potential Johnson-Lance Newmark pairing, it will be Spytek and Carroll running the show.

Going from a rising 38-year-old OC to the oldest HC ever hired, as Carroll is 73, represents a massive approach shift. But the Raiders are understandably interested in adding an experienced HC; Carroll installing a strong culture figures to be important after the instability in Vegas since Jon Gruden‘s forced resignation.

It is fairly clear Brady will have a significant say in the Raiders’ dealings moving forward. Davis already declared the all-time QB great-turned-announcer/owner will lead the way as the Raiders search for an answer at that position, and Brady effectively ran the HC and GM searches. Carroll is accustomed to holding final-say power; he was in that role above John Schneider for 14 years in Seattle. The new Raiders HC, however, said (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed) he and Spytek will work together in running the AFC West franchise.

Carroll had turned some control over to Schneider during his final years as Seahawks HC, but his contract gave him veto power. Tafur and Reed confirm Carroll’s Raiders deal does not include such power, which will make Spytek a more important figure in Vegas. That said, Carroll added that the duo will work with Davis and the Raiders’ minority owners regarding football decisions as well. This can certainly be interpreted as Brady continuing to have a significant say in how the Raiders operate.

Davis used a head coach-centric blueprint during Gruden’s second stay with the team, and while Dave Ziegler held roster control from 2022-23, it was widely assumed Josh McDaniels played a central role in personnel as well. Davis had Tom Telesco controlling last season’s roster. It will be interesting to learn if Spytek will control the Raiders’ 53-man roster this year. If he does end up doing so, Carroll’s experience and Brady’s stature will impact the power the new GM would hold.

Carroll’s age is an unavoidable part of this equation. Only one coach in NFL history (Romeo Crennel, as a Texans interim in 2020) has served as a head coach at 73. NFL teams passed on Carroll joining him last season, but Brady has long respected the former Super Bowl-winning leader. As Carroll prepares to install a culture change in Vegas, SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates he did spend time during his coaching free agency stay looking into an assistant who could potentially succeed him. Bruce Arians had done this in Todd Bowles, and a succession plan to carry on a Carroll culture would benefit the Raiders — if their current plan is successful, that is.

The Raiders have yet to interview an offensive coordinator, but ex-Carroll Seahawks hire Karl Scott met with the team already. How the team’s OC search shakes out may be pivotal regarding any Carroll succession plans. For now, the energetic septuagenarian will enjoy a rare fourth chance to be an NFL head coach.

Raiders May Be Homing In On QB Shedeur Sanders

January 18th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Ely Allen

The Raiders did themselves a bit of a disservice by winning a couple of games down the stretch of the regular season and ruining their opportunity to own the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft as a result. Despite the theoretical misstep, Las Vegas may still be in a good position to land their preferred option in April.

As the influence of minority-owner Tom Brady continues to permeate throughout the Raiders organization, there seems to be an indication that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be the object of focus for the team’s scouting department leading into the draft. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, Brady has “a great amount of respect for Sanders’ focus on preparation, his ability to learn and adapt, his accuracy and determination in the pocket, and his toughness to take hits and still be resilient.”

We continue to see reports from scouts that the top two passers in this year’s draft class, Miami’s Cam Ward and Sanders, wouldn’t have surpassed the top three passers in 2024 (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye). According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, some have even claimed that J.J. McCarthy would be the QB1 in this class, which is hard to believe when comparing the statistics of the three. Apparently, McCarthy’s winning of a championship with Michigan is valued highly enough to overcome a severe difference in production.

Despite these claims and despite Sanders seemingly being ranked as QB2 behind Ward at the moment, the desperate need for quarterbacks in the NFL still makes it seem like Sanders may not make it to the Raiders at No. 6 overall. Three of the five teams in the first five picks of the draft (Titans, Browns, Giants) have also been connected to passers with quarterback being identified as a position of need. Still, there’s reportedly belief in draft circles that, as the evaluation process continues, Sanders has a chance to slip out of the top five picks.

Should that be the case, it would play perfectly into the hands of Las Vegas. There’s some hope that whoever is hired as general manager, as well as head coach, would be permitted some input on the decision of who is selected in the first round. If Brady and majority-owner Mark Davis have their way, though, the Colorado-product may be headed to the Raiders.

Tom Brady Will Fulfill Broadcasting Contract

January 17th, 2025 at 9:49am CST by Adam La Rose

The 2024 season marks Year 1 of Tom Brady‘s broadcasting career. The Raiders minority owner has drawn attention over conflict of interest concerns, but no change to his situation is expected any time soon.

Brady’s agent Don Yee made it clear in an interview with Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal that his client plans to fulfill the remainder of his contract. Brady is attached to a 10-year, $375MM pact with FOX, but the fact his first year in the broadcast booth coincides with his first as an official member of the Raiders’ ownership group led to notable restrictions being placed on him. NFL owners raised issues on the conflict of interest front before approving his purchase of a 5% stake in the franchise, but since it became official no developments have taken place on that front.

“Tom has had a tremendous amount of fun working with FOX this year, and he’s really excited about the future with FOX and his growth on their team,” Yee said. “And this year was the first year of a long relationship.”

Brady’s next game in the booth will be this weekend’s Commanders-Lions contest. That matchup will provide him with the opportunity to speak with Lions coordinator Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, two of the top remaining head coaching candidates in this year’s hiring cycle and and members of the list of Raiders targets. Johnson in particular has emerged as a name to watch closely, with a mutual interest appearing to exist and a substantial offer believed to be on tap. Brady played a central role in the decisions to fire both Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco, moves which gave the Raiders the opportunity to once again reset as an organization.

While Brady carries on in his efforts on that front, he will continue his broadcasting responsibilities (which will include calling Super Bowl LIX). His actions will no doubt continue to be monitored by the league and its owners, although a source from one NFL team informed Mark Maske of the Washington Post no complaints have been made yet with respect to any unfair advantages being gained. The opportunity for that to change may arise down the road, but for the foreseeable future Brady is set to wear both hats.

As noted in a detailed piece on the matter from The Athletic (subscription required), Brady cannot serve a role in the Raiders’ front office aside from his current title of minority owner. Leaving his broadcasting career behind could not lead him to a different position formally leading football operations or another aspect of the organization since he is not directly related to controlling owner Mark Davis. As a result, no changes to Brady’s current setup should be considered likely.

Raiders Preparing Big Ben Johnson Offer?

January 16th, 2025 at 11:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears and Jaguars have superior quarterback situations to the Raiders, who have a major question to answer entering the offseason, and Ben Johnson has been one of the choosiest coordinators in recent memory. As Chicago and Jacksonville remain in the mix for Johnson, buzz persists about Detroit’s OC giving strong consideration to the Raiders.

Tom Brady‘s presence has driven this, with Mark Davis giving the quarterback-turned-announcer/part-owner a significant say — perhaps the lead voice — as the team searches again for a new head coach and general manager. Brady has had his eye on Johnson for a while, beginning an effort to bring him to Las Vegas when covering the Lions in Week 9.

The more aggressive stage of this recruitment began last Thursday, the same day the Raiders fired Tom Telesco, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. While not confirming Johnson called for the Raiders to fire their GM, Florio lends more in the direction of Johnson wanting “alignment” as he determines a potential landing spot. The reporting coming out of the Telesco firing had Brady playing the lead role, determining Telesco needed to go to bring in the team’s next HC and GM on the same timeline.

It is unlikely Johnson’s desire for alignment and Brady’s determination the Raiders needed to start fresh is a coincidence, and Florio adds the Raiders may have already dangled a “massive” offer to the three-year Lions play-caller. The Raiders have not yet met Johnson face-to-face, with only virtual interviews allowed with candidates tied to other teams until Jan. 20. The team cannot meet with Johnson until the Lions are eliminated (or the Super Bowl bye week, if Detroit books its first Super Bowl berth), but Brady is still with FOX and is set to call the Commanders-Lions divisional-round game Saturday night. This conflict of interest could benefit the Raiders, as the analyst certainly could make a point to speak with the high-profile coordinator.

Davis is not among the league’s wealthiest owners, but he did authorize a 10-year, $100MM Jon Gruden contract in 2018. Johnson was also linked to a $15MM-per-year salary ask during the 2024 offseason. Coaching salaries are not public, but Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton are believed to be earning between $15-$20MM and are classified as top-five-salaried HCs (or in that ballpark). The Raiders’ QB situation and their struggles finding a coach during Davis’ ownership tenure may required a monster offer near this neighborhood, even if Johnson has not proven a successful head coach yet like Payton and Harbaugh have.

The Raiders cannot match the Jaguars or Bears’ QB setups just yet, and Davis has Brady set to play perhaps the lead role — especially now that Telesco’s gone — in fixing the roster’s biggest problem. Las Vegas hold the No. 6 overall pick. The team also faces Harbaugh, Payton and the two-time reigning champion Chiefs twice a year; it went 0-6 in those games this season. For Johnson to turn down the Commanders and give this much consideration to the Raiders certainly would appear to show Brady’s impact on this process. Other candidates remain in play for the Raiders, but everything to this point suggests Johnson is the clear favorite.

Ben Johnson ‘Seriously Considering’ Raiders; Latest On Tom Brady’s Impact

January 15th, 2025 at 11:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has placed significant restrictions on Tom Brady during his time as a broadcaster. Since the future Hall of Fame quarterback is now part-owner of the Raiders, he is prohibited from speaking attending practices, traveling to clubs’ facilities or doing onsite interview prep with coaches ahead of broadcast assignments.But a loophole may influence the Raiders’ coaching search.

Brady will be in Detroit for FOX’s divisional-round game (Commanders-Lions), and he would have a chance to both closely evaluate Ben Johnson (and Lions DC Aaron Glenn) and continue speaking with a coach who looks to be — at this juncture, at least — the Raiders’ early favorite.

Raiders-Johnson momentum is building, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Clearly residing as a frontrunner here, Johnson is “seriously considering” the Raiders, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes. In predicting fits, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson placed Johnson in Vegas.

While Mark Davis is technically atop the organization, it is widely believed Brady is running the team’s HC and GM pursuits. A report pointed to this search being “Tom’s show,” and Tafur offers more in that direction by adding that the minority owner was heavily involved in the decisions to fire Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco last week. Telesco was ultimately canned because the Raiders wanted to start fresh rather than pair a new coach with a holdover GM.

It is abnormal for a part-owner to have this much influence in searches of this magnitude, but Brady’s stature in the game makes him a special case. The 47-year-old exec’s presence is believed to have driven Johnson to add the Raiders to his interview list. The Lions’ OC has been picky about jobs since first joining a coaching carousel in 2023, and he famously backed out as the Commanders’ frontrunner last year. For Johnson to then be open to taking a Raiders job despite the lack of a quarterback presence and considering Davis’ lack of patience with coaches in recent years, it would certainly say a lot about Brady’s ability to recruit.

Las Vegas may be eyeing a Detroit-centric plan, with Tafur adding Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark is believed to have an early leg up on the competition for the GM job. This would be an interesting development, as Newmark has not received an interview request just yet. Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, Steelers staffer Sheldon White and ex-Brady Michigan teammate John Spytek — a Buccaneers assistant GM — are the interviewees thus far. Spytek held early momentum as a candidate to watch; Newmark making up ground would be interesting due to his history.

Although Newmark left for Washington in 2024, he spent more than 20 years as a Detroit exec. That obviously covers the time Johnson has spent with the franchise, and Tafur adds the Raiders view Newmark as a staffer who could pair well with the 38-year-old play-caller.

Brady began vetting Johnson when he did a Week 9 Lions-Packers broadcast, Tafur offers. This would obviously be an unusual way for a franchise to gather intel on a candidate, and it obviously calls Brady’s FOX role into question as far as objectivity goes. Considering the steam Johnson has gained with the Raiders, the ongoing Brady conflict-of-interest subplot will continue Saturday.

Johnson is still in play for the Bears and Jaguars’ jobs, and while it is not known if the teams have him as a favorite, Mike Vrabel being off the carousel leaves Johnson as the hottest candidate based on history and the Lions’ dominant season on offense. The Jags are believed to be heavily interested. Johnson cannot conduct any second interviews until a Super Bowl bye week, or if the Lions are eliminated earlier.

For Johnson to back out of the Commanders’ search only to join the Raiders would represents a borderline coup for Brady, and it would add even more intrigue to a division that has seen tremendous coaching talent join Andy Reid in recent years. Johnson would join Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh in the AFC West. The Raiders still have interviews to go through, and Johnson’s past should remind this is not a done deal. But this much noise about the situation is certainly interesting this early in the process.

NFL Staff Rumors: Raiders, Jets, 49ers

January 12th, 2025 at 9:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Based on several reports in recent days, we’ve been pushing the assumption that part-owner Tom Brady has immense influence in the Raiders‘ operations, namely the ongoing searches for a new head coach and general manager. This sentiment was all but confirmed in an article today by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. One of Bonsignore’s sources with knowledge of the situation told him that “this is Tom’s show now” and that majority owner Mark Davis wants Brady to have a “huge” voice in the team’s operations.

Brady’s influence does appear to have its limits, though. According to Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic, many in the NFL pinned new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as Brady’s top option to coach in Las Vegas. Vrabel wasn’t one of the team’s scheduled interviews, though, as those became known to the media. Apparently, Davis was “not interested in another go-round with ‘Patriots Way’ after the failure of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago.”

Brady’s voice will otherwise still be heavily considered in the search for a new head coach and general manager. Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek has already been identified as a potential candidate, aided by Brady’s connection to his former team. While Tafur and Reed don’t mention any actual rumored interest, they list Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew, Lions director of scouting Dwayne Joseph, Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi, and Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley as names to watch for based on their potential compatibility with different head coaching candidates.

Here are a few other staff rumors from around the NFL:

The Jets were another contender for Vrabel’s services, and they reportedly were extremely interested in bringing him in. In a Q&A with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Breer stated his belief that New York would’ve allowed Vrabel to choose his own general manager had he signed with them, especially considering their main plan is to find the best guy (head coach or general manager) and build around them to achieve alignment throughout the coaching and front office staffs. Ultimately, Breer believes the reputation of team owner Woody Johnson likely dissuaded Vrabel away from the Jets.
Staying in New York and with Breer’s peer at Sports Illustrated, Patrick McAvoy, we got a report that SportsNet New York insider Connor Hughes is under the opinion that Rex Ryan “is completely out” of the head coaching race for the Jets. Hughes was quoted on WFAN telling Rami Lavi that “that is not gonna happen with the Jets.”
Following the departure of special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, the 49ers have begun the process of replacing him. To wit, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the team has completed an interview with Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins. Modkins has spent the last four seasons in Detroit under coordinator Dave Fipp, who is widely considered one of the best in the game.

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