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Tom Brady Expected to Significantly Influence Raiders' Coaching Search

Las Vegas will begin its search for a new head coach after firing Antonio Pierce on Tuesday.

Tom Dierberger

FOX Sports analyst Tom Brady stands on the sideline before a game between the Seahawks and Bills at Lumen Field.
FOX Sports analyst Tom Brady stands on the sideline before a game between the Seahawks and Bills at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders are joining five other NFL teams this offseason in their hunt for a new head coach.

The Raiders fired coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, marking an end to the 46-year-old's tenure on the sidelines after one season in the full-time role. Las Vegas will once again begin looking for a new head coach, but this time around, the franchise will have the help of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Tom Brady, a minority owner of the Raiders, is expected to take a big role in the hiring process. The Athletic's Dianni Russini was told he will have "a lot" of influence in the Raiders' decision, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Brady will be part of a "collaborative committee" to interview coaching candidates.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel are the consensus top two head-coaching candidates of the 2025 hiring cycle. Brady does have a connection to Vrabel, as the two were teammates with the New England Patriots for eight seasons from 2001 to '08.

Of course, the Raiders have plenty of competition to lure any top coaching candidate to Southern Nevada. The Patriots, Bears, Saints, Jaguars and Jets are also searching for a new head coach, and three of those teams—New England, Chicago and Jacksonville—have a franchise quarterback already on the roster.

Las Vegas, coming off a 4–13 season, has plenty to figure out this offseason. Quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew both are under contract for 2025, but neither took control of the starting role in '24, as the offense ranked 27th in yards per game (303.2) and 29th in points per game (18.2) this season.

The Raiders do own the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, which they could use to draft a quarterback. But first, they'll have to hire a new coach—one who checks off the boxes on Brady's list.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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