Sports media reporter Richard Deitsch of The Athletic raised eyebrows when he predicted on the final day of December that Tom Brady will leave his role as Fox’s lead in-game analyst after just one season so that he can get “deeper involved with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason” as a minority owner of that franchise.
During a Wednesday appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” former Miami Marlins president, current podcast host
and sports business insider David Samson echoed Deitsch’s take.
“Tom Brady is running that team right now. And the NFL knows it and Fox knows it and something has got to give,” Samson said about Brady’s working relationship with the Raiders, as shared by Kyle Koster of Sports Illustrated. “So enjoy Tom in the booth because you’re not going to see him there next year.”
Samson added that “Tom Brady will not be with Fox next season. He will be full-time in the Raiders front office running that team. Period.”
Months before the Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce earlier this week, stories linked the club with former New England Patriots player/one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner Mike Vrabel and with former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick largely because both men are close with Brady.
While Belichick agreed to become head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels in December, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted on Tuesday that the $10M buyout attached to Belichick’s contract “is peanuts” for an NFL owner.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday that “Brady spoke recently with [Belichick] about what it would take to make a reunion happen in Las Vegas.”
Also on Wednesday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic mentioned that Brady’s role with the Raiders “is significant.” It’s no secret that he already has to follow strict guidelines while calling games for Fox as a minority owner of a franchise, and it’s logical to believe owners of other clubs will want him to pick a lane if it’s determined that he essentially chose the Raiders’ next head coach.
Whispers about Brady possibly leaving Fox as soon as this winter popped up even before he began the first season of his 10-year, $375M deal with the network. It seems more and more industry insiders believe he’s ready to go all-in on helping the Raiders try to right the ship as quickly as possible.
