Tom Brady Says He Has 'Long Term, Kind of Behind-the-Scenes Type' Role with Raiders

Tom Brady clarified his role with the Las Vegas Raiders during a Fox conference call with reporters on Wednesday in advance of Sunday's Super Bowl.

Bryan Curtis of The Ringer asked a question on that front, and Richard Deitsch of The Athletic relayed the response.

"My ownership interests in the Raiders is just much more of a long-term, kind of behind the scenes type role. I am there to support the team and leadership and the overall vision of success.

"The best part for me is I love football so much and the fact that I get to be involved with it for the rest of my life and showcase this great game, not just as a broadcaster which is obviously one way, but in a limited partner role with an organization.

"It is something I hope a lot of other players get the opportunity to do. I want the game to continue to grow and continue to improve and get better. Whatever role I can play in that, I am really excited to do that."

Brady and his business partner, Tom Wagner, each bought a 5 percent stake in the Raiders in a deal approved by NFL ownership last October.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback remains Fox's lead NFL analyst after signing a 10-year, $375 million contract that began this season. He will be on the call Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles play Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Brady was also asked about his first year as a broadcaster, and he noted the importance of learning from past mistakes and correcting himself moving forward.

"I think the mistakes that I have made — and I have made plenty — I have learned from all of them," Brady said.

"You are not happy they have happened but at the same time I understand that when they do happen and I mispronounce words or forget a certain statistic or the preparation was a little off in terms of my thoughts on something and I screw up the analysis, I go back and I want to get it right the next time."

The Raiders hired a new general manager (John Spytek) and head coach (Pete Carroll) this offseason in hopes of moving past a 4-13 season.

When asked about his role on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Brady had this to say.

"Right now, it's a great ownership group," Brady said. "There's other great people involved. I'm one voice. It's so collaborative. I think this process of learning is so important. So, that's kind of where it's at."

It seems Brady's role might be more important than that, though, based on Raiders owner Mark Davis' remarks when the team introduced Carroll and Spytek on Jan. 27.

"Bringing in Tom Brady was bringing in somebody on the football side that I had been lacking having here in the organization," Davis told reporters (h/t ESPN). "Back in I guess it was '18, with Jon Gruden. He was somebody that I brought in and really expected to be that person on the football side that would bring stability to the organization. He had a 10-year contract and all that, and his head was chopped off. And we were put in a really bad position as an organization."

Gruden, the team's head coach on two different occasions (1998-2001 and 2018-2021) resigned in 2021 after the discovery of leaked emails containing misogynistic, racist and anti-gay language.

Now Brady, in essence, is seen as the replacement for Gruden to fill that football void Davis was looking to address. He was in the room interviewing head coaching candidates, per Davis.

It was clear Brady had great respect for Carroll, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, who had this to say on the hire.

"Then, there's Pete Carroll. One thing that a few connected people said to me early in the process was not to underestimate Brady's own experiences in the search—and how the respect he had for Carroll had always been apparent. In Carroll, he and the Raiders saw someone who could energize the building and give the team an identity."

So it's clear he has an influence on the team, which is unsurprising given his ownership stake and football pedigree. Whether that will lead to greater success in Las Vegas remains to be seen, but hiring a Super Bowl-winning coach in Carroll and an exec in Spytek who's won two Super Bowl rings (2015 with the Denver Broncos as a national scout; 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as director of player personnel) is a good start.