How Tom Brady’s Role With the Raiders May Evolve Over Time

Will the Fox analyst be hands-on in Las Vegas’s development? Plus, the Haason Reddick situation, trade deadline drama and more in Albert Breer’s mailbag.

Brady's purchase of a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders was approved on Tuesday. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

It’s been a big news week in the league, and there are lots of questions to answer. Let’s get to some now …

From John Richardson (@JohnIsaac55): What are the chances Tom Brady goes to the Raiders facility, sees how much work is really needed there, and tells Fox the challenges to fix “his” team is too great of a challenge to pass up and bounces to do it?

John, I got some time with Raiders owner Mark Davis to discuss this Tuesday afternoon, a couple of hours after he and his peers voted Brady’s purchase of a piece of his team through. My main takeaway was that, in time, that’ll likely come.

For now, Davis just wants Brady aboard and is content to allow for the greatest ever’s fledgling run as a broadcaster to run its course. He’s also aware that the recent rules changes make it complicated (or even impossible) for Brady to take on a working role with the organization as a limited partner. He acknowledged that this is something they’ll have to figure out if Brady wants a football-side job.

I just know this: Brady’s competitiveness probably won’t allow for him to sit idly by on the sidelines. And I don’t think his decision to join the Raiders’ ownership (even with a lot of help from business partner Tom Wagner) was with the intention to do so from afar. He’s also left plenty of breadcrumbs that would indicate an interest in working as a football exec. He was at the Raiders’ final practice last year—just as they were launching the search for a new coach and GM—and had a good friend and former teammate, Richard Seymour, on the search committee. Some even assumed that Mike Vrabel could come into the picture (and still could whenever Brady gets more involved). 

So whether it’s in a year or 10, I think, and this is just my opinion, you’ll eventually see a significant football-side role for Brady in Las Vegas.

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From Cali (@CaliJets): How does the Haason Reddick situation pan out?

Cali, I think there are probably enough suitors out there for top pass rushers that someone like Reddick could bring back a pick close to what the New York Jets gave up for him in March. However, the twist that they’d have to yield a second-rounder, rather than a third, to the Eagles if he goes to an NFC team is significant.

The other thing the Jets have in their back pocket is the rules. Reddick will need to show up on Tuesday of Week 13 (Nov. 26) to be eligible to play this year, and he has to play this year to be a free agent in 2025. If he doesn’t show up by then, his contract will toll, and the Jets will have his ’25 rights on the ’24 terms that he clearly doesn’t like. So, I think it’s fair to say he’s a good bet to show between now and then if there isn’t a trade.

Then again, it’s also worth noting that on three different occasions, the Jets thought they’d made enough progress for Reddick to report and he didn’t. So this situation remains pretty unpredictable, riding on the whims of a guy who’s proven to be unpredictable.

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The Titans are 1–4 heading into their matchup against the Bills in Buffalo. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

From JH (@everydayliner): Do you plan to say ANYTHING about the Titans before the end of the season? Pr just don’t care? It’s also one of the not so many teams you didn’t cover during training camp…

You’re right, JH, the Tennessee Titans were not one of the 25 (or so) training camp visits I made. But, I did spend time with them in the spring and did this story on Will Levis during a visit to Nashville.

As for what I’d say about Tennessee, it pretty much is what it is. The Titans are rebuilding after offloading core players Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Taylor Lewan and Kevin Byard over the past few years. There were cap ramifications to work through, and a lot of organizational upheaval to undergo.

They’re still on the front end of all that. I’d guess they’ll be looking for a quarterback in the offseason. They have some nice building blocks in Jeffery Simmons and L’Jarius Sneed, and young guys such as JC Latham, Peter Skoronski and T’Vondre Sweat. Obviously, it’s going to take some time. No one thought everything would be fixed in one offseason. But I think of Chad Brinker, Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan as leaders.

Just be patient.

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From J.R. Willis (@Willinois23): What are you hearing about Howie Roseman’s Eagles as the trade deadline approaches?

That you always have to keep your eye on him? He’ll call on just about everyone. The Philadelphia Eagles are another team that could check in on the pass-rush market.

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From William Cook (@obiwill_kenobi): Will fan apathy impact Jerry Jones and his approach to the offseason?

William, I don’t know that there is apathy. I feel like, at least now, it’s still in the anger stage.

That said, I think Jerry Jones is mad about where the team is, considering the expenditures on Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb this summer. That displeasure was displayed on Dallas radio this week. I also believe it leaves a lot of coaches in a precarious position. Coming out of the bye, Dallas has the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Eagles, Houston Texans and Washington Commanders. There are no layups, or get-right games in there.

I’m sure you know Mike McCarthy is in a contract year. Bill Belichick is available and has a long-standing relationship with the Jones family, and Jones may be in the frame of mind he was when he hired Bill Parcells. We’ll see whether the current staff can dig out of this.

McCarthy's job could be in danger as the Cowboys fall to 3–3. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

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From Shedrick Carter (@shedrickcarter2): Hey, Albert, any more moves you see coming down the line? There seem to be some really good pass rushers on some bad teams. Maybe they are moved?

I think you’ll see teams such as the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions making those calls, yes.

Among the names to keep an eye on would be Reddick, the Cleveland Browns’ Za’Darius Smith and the Carolina Panthers’ Jadeveon Clowney. I don’t think the New Orleans Saints will be big sellers, but a loss Thursday could prompt teams to start sniffing around on Cameron Jordan and Chase Young. And if you want to shoot for the stars? Teams will call the Browns on Myles Garrett and the Raiders on Maxx Crosby (I’d say it’s highly unlikely those guys get moved before Nov. 5).

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From Don Ridenour (Not under Federal Indictment) (@DonRidenour): Why does the NFL not have doubleheaders on Fox & CBS every weekend?

Don, generally, it’s to protect the home team’s right to the market. CBS and Fox have eight doubleheader weeks each between Week 2 and 17, with both having doubleheaders in Weeks 1 and 18 only. Additionally, if a team is playing a home, sold-out game, then another game cannot be on opposite that game locally. This, of course, is not just to ensure that people are watching their home team, but also to prevent giving people a carrot (i.e., multiple games on TV) that might disincentivize them from going to the stadium.

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From Ronnie (@Tray4o): Who are your top Jets head coach candidates for 2025?

Ronnie, whoever Aaron Rodgers wants?

I’m just kidding. I think Jeff Ulbrich will get an honest chance at it. Obviously, a deep playoff run would make it hard to go in another direction, particularly with a lot of players on the older side, who might not be very interested in starting over. Ulbrich’s also well-liked in the locker room, and the organization as a whole. Robert Saleh told him after the change was made, and I’m paraphrasing, We knew you were going to be a head coach next year, and now you’re just getting a head start on that.

As for other names, I think going to the former player route might make some sense. One name that would interest me if I were the Jets would be Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. He’s a former Jets star and possesses many of the qualities his very successful boss, Dan Campbell, brings to the table.

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From No Pressure (@Gon_Ride): What are the chances of the Browns being real sellers this trade deadline? If the answer is high, who do you think they would absolutely not consider trading?

No Pressure, the Browns were actually the ones that pushed for the trade deadline to be moved back a week, and that should benefit them in their decision-making here. The Browns’ next three games are no picnic (Cincinnati Bengals, Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers) and all three are at home. Will Cleveland be 1–8 coming out of that? Will the fans be checking out? Or will the Browns have rallied to 4–5? If it’s an outcome between those extremes, how do things look?

I think all of that plays into what happens with Cleveland between now and Nov. 5. They have veteran pieces such as Smith and Jack Conklin that other teams may be interested in. Surely, they’ll have teams fishing for franchise cornerstones such as Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward. How they approach any of that, as I see it, will be dictated by how the team plays.

Cleveland's upcoming stretch of games will dictate how it approaches the trade deadline. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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From Tom Marshall (@aredzonauk): Are Drake Maye and Brian Thomas Jr. the only bright spots for me to look for here at Wembley on Sunday?

Tom! No, I don’t think so. Watching Trevor Lawrence and the state of the Jacksonville Jaguars after safety Andre Cisco called out his team for quitting in their loss to the Chicago Bears will be interesting, and perhaps telling on Doug Pederson’s future. And New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo just called out his squad, too, saying there’ll be lineup changes this week.

What a game between one-win teams lacks in stakes, it may make up for in drama.

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From ASB1216 (@ASB1216): MVS back to KC via the practice squad makes too much sense given his familiarity with the offense which Andy Reid seems to like. Assuming that happens, would KC still go out and trade for another WR?

ASB, in another sign that the Kansas City Chiefs have become the Tom Brady Patriots, they’ve shown how they can bring back guys who seemed to have fallen into disrepair elsewhere. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kareem Hunt and Mecole Hardman are current examples. So, giving it a run with Marquez Valdes-Scantling would make sense.

As for the plan for the deadline, the Chiefs wanted to get a good look at what they have in-house after the Rashee Rice injury before mapping out how they’ll approach other teams. So a move could still happen.

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From Jacob McFadden (@JacobMcFadden12): Are the Atlanta Falcons in the trade market for a pass rusher?

Yes. They like what they’ve gotten in Matthew Judon. They’re very open to adding to what he’s brought to the table.

As an aside: Judon brought the Patriot ritual of doing hill runs post-practice to the Falcons. At first, it was just him and the outside linebackers going to the hill on the side of the Atlanta practice fields. Now, the whole defense goes with him. So he’s been a really nice acquisition for the Falcons in many ways after his rocky finish in New England.