Tom Brady wants to become co-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. What does that mean for the franchise?

Tom Brady may be returning to the NFL, and it’s official: the former quarterback is set to become a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders. Raiders? Minority owner? Is there now a resignation of the resignation?

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders: what’s it all about?

Brady wants to join the Las Vegas Raiders around owner Mark Davis. So he’s buying shares, but would only be a minority owner and also a “silent partner.” Even if that sounds strange: Brady is not supposed to interfere in football matters. Davis had held similar talks with “Magic” Johnson last year, but no deal was reached. The basketball legend is part of the group that recently bought the Washington Commanders.

It’s not a foregone conclusion with Brady and the Raiders, either. “Talks between the two sides have been ongoing for weeks and could lead to a resolution soon, but sources say it’s still an extremely sensitive and uncertain negotiation,” “ESPN” colleagues Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham report.

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders: what’s next?

If Brady and Davis reach an agreement, NFL team owners will have to decide on the 45-year-old’s offer at their meeting this month in Minnesota. At least 24 of the 32 teams must give the green light for the deal to go through and Brady to become co-owner.

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders: is Brady returning to the field after all?

No, the entry has nothing to do with his career as a player. Brady has finished his career, there will not be another retirement from retirement. Usually.

Past experience has shown that you should never say never with the 45-year-old, but even if he were to consider returning to the field at some point, according to “ESPN,” even that dual role would have to be signed off on by ownership first.

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders: what about Brady’s TV deal with “Fox”?

As “ESPN” reports, the deal does not affect Brady’s ten-year contract as a TV pundit with “Fox,” for which he collects $375 million. “Fox” reportedly gave Brady its blessing to join the Raiders.

Reportedly, a dual role is only problematic for the NFL “if the owner holds a position of responsibility with the media company and could influence negotiations over broadcast rights. “

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders: is there really no conflict of interest?

“ProFootballTalk” raises, not unfairly, that Brady, as a TV pundit, is likely to get inside information from the other teams, at least the TV networks get it. And they, in turn, could be helpful to the Raiders when Brady is on assignment at games of Raiders opponents.

So the question is how other teams should handle it if Brady wants to have background conversations with team members or officials, for example. But that issue could come up at the owners meeting, plus teams can theoretically walk away from the deal if they don’t agree.

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders: why the Raiders of all teams?

Davis is an old acquaintance of Brady’s: the entrepreneur who brought the team from Oakland to the gambling city also owns the Las Vegas Aces, champions in the WNBA women’s basketball league, where Brady also recently became a minority owner.

In addition, Brady was supposed to join the Raiders as a player in 2020, but at the time ex-coach Jon Gruden reportedly blocked the move. Instead, the superstar went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Vegas is also a city that Brady “visits frequently,” according to “ESPN,” plus the Raiders feature several Brady confidants. Head coach Josh McDaniels was Brady’s offensive coordinator twice, GM Dave Ziegler also worked in the Patriots’ front office from 2013 to 2021 before taking the Las Vegas job. Plus, Brady’s former backup Jimmy Garoppolo is the Raiders’ starting quarterback.

More fundamentally, Brady has never been just a football superstar, he’s always been a businessman, and buying a stake in an NFL team is always just business. Brady is said to have considered a similar move with the Miami Dolphins (in combination with the role of starting quarterback), but the lawsuit filed by former coach Brian Flores threw a spanner in the plans.

It can’t be ruled out that becoming a minority owner is just the beginning and that Brady plans to do more at some point. But that is only speculation at this point.

And conversely, why Tom Brady?

The answer is obvious. The Raiders are making positive headlines with their new co-owner, staying in the conversation, adorning themselves with a winning guy, arguably the greatest football player in history, who provides plenty of prestige.

And even though he’ll take a passive role and have no operational control or authority over the club, either in business or football matters, his advice, knowledge, connections can be worth their weight in gold.

The Raiders, who made the playoffs a full two times after losing the Super Bowl in the 2002 season, can no doubt use them.