PHOENIX — Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady doesn’t have to be at the team’s Henderson facility every day to make an impact.
The seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback also didn’t need to be at NFL’s annual league meeting to earn some praise.
As AFC coaches took their turn with morning roundtable interviews at the Arizona Biltmore resort Tuesday, a pair of first-time coaches emphasized the value of Tom Brady’s presence — even if it’s just via phone or Zoom call.
The Raiders held plenty of those virtual meetings this offseason. They had to complete a thorough search for Pete Carroll’s replacement after he led the team to a league-worst 3-14 record in his sole season at the helm.
For new Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady, who had two interviews with the Raiders before the job went to Klint Kubiak, it was easy to pinpoint what stood out most during the process.
“I mean, it’s Tom Brady, right? Tom Brady is the most impressive. He’s the greatest of all time for a reason,” said Joe Brady, who has no relation or connection to the Patriots great despite the shared last name.
Although Joe Brady led with Tom Brady as the star of the interview process, he credited Raiders majority owner Mark Davis for getting the football legend into the proverbial room.
“(I was) really impressed by Mr. Davis’s understanding and approach of the dynamic and getting them all in there together,” Joe Brady said. “It’s not just ‘Hey, the owner’s running the meeting.’’’
All of it came together for Joe Brady to characterize the Raiders as a prime destination.
“Klint is an incredible coach, so they have it figured out,” Joe Brady said. “But the facilities out there are outstanding. The dynamic division that they have with the leadership that they have is impressive. A lot of people would want that job.”
Kubiak, the man who landed the job, is welcoming Tom Brady’s advice. At his introductory news conference in February, Kubiak joked that Brady might regret giving him his phone number. A few months later, he’s taken advantage of it; another sign of the authenticity that is so often advertised about Kubiak.
“We talk quite a bit. We text almost every day,” Kubiak said. “He’s extremely supportive, giving great advice, talking about his experience in New England and things that he did in Tampa.”
With the Raiders all but guaranteed to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick of the NFL Draft on April 23, Kubiak was also asked how involved Brady might be with a rookie quarterback.
“In all aspects of my job, I’m reaching out to (Brady) and asking for his advice,” Kubiak said.
Kubiak, only a few months removed from winning a Super Bowl as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator, is also hoping Brady won’t be bashful with the opinions he shares.
“What I’ve asked him is to give the advice that I really don’t want to hear,” Kubiak said. “It’s okay to hurt my feelings. I’d rather it be that way.
“I have all the confidence in the world that we’re gonna keep building that relationship. So it’s been a good start. Relationships, they take time, and we’ve been putting in the time.”
Time is something Brady has found in short supply lately.
In a newsletter entry that was posted to tombrady.com on Tuesday, he wrote about the struggle to find balance with all of the roles he holds. He’s also a minority owner of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, a lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports, founder of the TB12 brand, owner of 199 Productions. He also works as a spokesperson for multiple brands.
Brady played in the inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic in March in an endeavor unrelated to all of those.
He wrote in his blog that for 10 days leading up to that event, he was booked solid with “meetings, calls, press, flights, rides, meals, parties, practices, so much talking, and of course the games themselves.”
It certainly makes you wonder how he makes time for the Raiders at all.
“When I commit to something, I go all in. That’s just how it is, and I suppose it’s the only way I know,” Brady wrote. “But stretches like this have a cost.
“You can go hard in the paint for only so long, before you need to rest and recharge or risk hurting yourself.”
Apparently, the key is being intentional about recovery from all of the demands.
“The answer to the question of balance for me isn’t to do less,” Brady wrote. “It’s to do as much as possible around whichever priority has my attention, and then to do as much as possible to recharge my social battery so I can do it again with the next, most pressing priority.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Callie__Fin on X.