Tom Brady is no longer just a minority owner watching from the sidelines. After the Raiders fired coach Pete Carroll last week, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is stepping into a more direct role alongside general manager John Spytek to oversee football operations.
“There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle you have to get right,” Brady told The Associated Press. “But I’m certainly very excited that we’re going to get things going in the right direction.”
The immediate task: hire a new head coach. The Raiders have already begun interviewing candidates, with the process expected to intensify as the team holds the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and roughly $98 million in cap space — the third most in the league.
Analyst Jay Glazer, who works with Brady at Fox, called Las Vegas the most attractive opening among teams seeking a coach. “I can work with Tom,” Glazer said. “Yeah, I’d have to go probably Vegas, because of Tom.”
ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh could be a top target. “Saleh has been on Las Vegas’ short list in the past, and his work in San Francisco this season has caught a lot of people’s attention,” Graziano wrote. He added that Saleh’s unsuccessful tenure with the New York Jets won’t deter teams from pursuing him.
The new coach will need a plan to develop a young quarterback, likely Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who leads the Hoosiers into the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night. The Raiders ranked last in the NFL with 14.1 offensive points per game this season.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan highlighted the team’s potential core: Mendoza, running back Ashton Jeanty, and tight end Brock Bowers, plus ample cap space. “This rebuild could be jump-started quickly,” Sullivan wrote.
Brady emphasized the long-term goal. “We want to deliver a winner in Las Vegas,” he said. “The fan base deserves it, and it’s been a long time.”
