Tom Brady might be a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but the impact he has had already this offseason cannot be overstated.
It was reported that Brady would play a role in the decision-making process of the Raiders, and he has used that power to its fullest extent.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Brady was not a fan of how the team operated under former head coach Antonio Pierce. His stance likely played a part in Pierce’s firing on Jan. 7, just days after the Raiders’ season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It’s been well established that Brady wasn’t wild about the way things operated with Antonio Pierce, which is one reason why Pierce isn’t there anymore,” said Breer.
The process of hiring another coach has also seen heavy influence from Brady. The future Hall of Fame quarterback, through other parties, pitched the job to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who decided to take an interview with the Raiders on Friday.
Johnson went from not even considering the Raiders as a possibility to the favorite to land the job, all because of Brady’s impressive act of salesmanship.
Recently, Brady has gained access to another selling point. A partial ownership bid of the Raiders to Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban for 7.5% of the team has been approved, and he will have an impact on the team in his own way.
A board member of the English Premier League’s Manchester City football club, Durban understands the value of spending money to make it on the field. That gives Brady the opportunity to pitch a stronger financial picture to interested candidates.
“Having Durban on the team, in turn, gives someone such as Brady the chance to realistically tell prospective coaches, executives and players that a new day is coming for the Raiders, and the shoestring budgets that could sometimes result from a lack of cash on hand are gone,” explained Breer.
Sure, Brady will have to navigate through the pitfalls of the Raiders not having a true franchise quarterback and the lack of patience principal owner Mark Davis has shown with recent regimes. However, he can at least tell coaching candidates that they will have the means to build a football team in their image, with the input of a general manager they know and trust.
If the Raiders pull a big fish on the coaching market like Johnson, Brady will deserve his flowers for his hard work.
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