Will Tom Brady Help Hire Raiders’ Replacement For Josh McDaniels?

Mark Davis did not necessarily check with Tom Brady before the longtime Raiders owner fired head coach Josh McDaniels. However, with McDaniels now out in Las Vegas, Davis could ask for Brady’s insights as the franchise gets set to hire the next head honcho.

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported Wednesday that Brady is going to be involved in the hiring of Las Vegas’ next general manager and head coach, citing sources. Former general manager Dave Ziegler was fired along with McDaniels on Tuesday night.

“I certainly am led to believe via sources, as well as common sense, that Tom Brady is going to be involved in the process and looking for a new head coach and potentially a general manager,” Jones said.

What guidance will Mark Davis get — or accept — in his search for a new head coach and GM? And looking at what Tom Brady's involvement could be pic.twitter.com/fTvMkjgZ0w

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) November 1, 2023

Jones referred to Brady as Davis’ “confidant” and an “ambassador” for the Raiders. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is not yet part of the Raiders’ ownership group, although it feels like it’s trending in that direction.

“First of all, Tom Brady, while not officially attached to the Raiders in any capacity, has become a confidant of Mark Davis. Mark Davis certainly looks up to Tom Brady as the ‘GOAT’, as someone who knows a world about football that he does not,” Jones said, before referencing how Davis tried to give Brady a “sweetheart deal” to join the Raiders as a part owner.

It hasn’t yet been approved by other NFL owners.

“And so that (deal) is still in a wait-and-see process, but Tom Brady is essentially, whether he is under contract or an employee of the team, somewhat of an ambassador if you will. So I believe Mark Davis is going to lean on Tom Brady.”

Jones speculated longtime Raider Ken Herock, senior vice president of football administration Tom Delaney, as well as team president Sandra Douglas Morgan and Brady will form the “brain trust” in helping Davis make the next decisions for the Raiders.

It might be a weird situation for Brady, who played under McDaniels, then an offensive coordinator, during much of his two decades with the New England Patriots. Such is life in the NFL, however.