By this point, it’s already been established that Tom Brady is heavily involved in the Las Vegas Raiders’ coaching search.
How involved? Apparently, the Raiders’ pursuit for their next head coach starts with their minority owner.
Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Peter Schrager provided some insight regarding Las Vegas’ ongoing search. According to the ESPN personality, Brady has been leading the search, despite his busy schedule, which includes his role as Fox’s top game analyst and involvement in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Saudi Arabia.
“Brady’s very involved with the Raiders’ [coaching search]. I think I’m allowed to say that,” Schrager said. “He’s at this Fanatics event at the Intuit Dome the other night… and then all of a sudden, he’s on a Zoom and he is very engaged and dialed in.”
After Simmons responded with a sarcastic comment about Brady’s willingness to be involved with a franchise he purchased a minority stake in, Schrager defended the point he was making.
“He’s leading the interviews, alright?” the former Good Morning Football co-host said. “He’s playing a big role.”
While the Raiders had previously publicly touted Brady’s involvement in their head coaching search, Schrager’s insight — despite Simmons’ teasing — remains notable nonetheless. Especially considering the inherent conflict of interest that exists with his Fox job, which could require him to call games featuring candidates for the Las Vegas job.
In fact, such a situation will arise this weekend, with Brady and Kevin Burkhardt on the call for the NFC Divisional Round game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Earlier this month, the Raiders interviewed Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for their head coaching job, which currently remains unfilled.
A year ago, Brady found himself in a similar situation as he called a game featuring the Detroit Lions after the Raiders had been linked to both of the team’s coordinators during the head coach search that ultimately resulted in Las Vegas hiring Pete Carroll. But while most have seemingly accepted the complicated nature Brady’s dual roles, it will still be worth monitoring how his team’s interest in Kubiak potentially affects his call of Saturday night’s game.