The Las Vegas Raiders have always been a unique NFL franchise. Al Davis laid the blueprint for marching to the tune of a different drummer, and his son, Mark, has largely done the same thing during his 15-year tenure as the owner of the Silver and Black.
Being different is commonly viewed as a good thing because you can benefit from zigging when others are zagging. But that only holds true when things are going well, and almost nothing has for the Raiders in the last two decades. Sometimes, things are done simply because they are successful.
Mark Davis clearly knew that he was in over his head, as last season, he brought in legendary quarterback Tom Brady as a minority owner. Brady obviously has some influence in Las Vegas, but to what extent and which operations he assists with remain largely a mystery. But it's time to get clarity.
Raiders must clarify Tom Brady role to clarify power structure for prospective coach
The Athletic's Michael Silver, who is notoriously hard on the Raiders but typically right about them as well, wrote a column about Brady's role in Las Vegas on Friday. Silver believes that it is time for Brady to step up for the Silver and Black, but noted some inconsistencies and concerns, too.
"Depending on what you read and whom you talk to — and trust me, there are plenty of people in the Raiders’ organization who aren’t sure which calls are being made by whom — Brady is being treated by owner Mark Davis as the de facto boss when it comes to football matters.
"Yet Brady, in addition to being very busy, lives in Florida and thus far has displayed no desire to be the frontman in Sin City. At times, he has literally hovered in the background; during the Raiders’ Week 2 home defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers, Brady was spotted in the second row of the Vegas coaching booth wearing a headset.
"If anything, Brady has gone out of his way to act like he’s not in charge, such as when he was asked on the “Impaulsive” podcast last May to comment on Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide and said, 'I wasn’t part of any evaluation process.'"
Brady being in and out of the building due to the nature of his busy schedule isn't ideal, but that isn't exactly the issue. People in the Raiders' organization not knowing who is in charge is the crux of the problem. Yes, democracy and diversity of thought are both good. But front offices need structure.
Assuming Pete Carroll is fired, Las Vegas will need to find another head coach son. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Brady will be involved in the search for the Raiders' next leader, and fans expected that, given his pursuit of Ben Johnson last year. But how involved was he in hiring Carroll?
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Raider Nation wants answers to these questions because accountability is important. Plus, and perhaps the most important reason for them to have transparency with Brady and their processes, is that any head coaching candidate needs to know who they'll be answering to.
Reporters were indicating this season that Carroll was reporting to Mark Davis, whereas Brady was Chip Kelly's boss. How can a franchise thrive under these circumstances? Major disconnects like this explain everything that was wrong in Las Vegas during the 2025 NFL season.
A head coach interviewing for the Raiders' job needs to know that they have control over the coordinators that they bring in, and they need a clear idea of what the power structure is in Las Vegas. They can't feel conflicted on who they report to and who holds their job in their hands.
Phillip Dorsett II, a current Raiders practice squad wide receiver and a former teammate of Brady's, believes that Las Vegas will turn things around under Brady's tutelage. Hopefully, Brady becomes like John Elway with the Denver Broncos, and not like Michael Jordan with the Charlotte Bobcats.
Carroll clearly wasn't happy with the decisions to place Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers on Injured Reserve last week, so some strings are clearly being pulled behind the scenes. Fans just don't know if it is Brady, Davis or John Spytek puppeteering things. And it's important to know.
As long as those in the building have a clear and united vision on where to go, and the next Raiders coach knows the order of operations in Las Vegas, then it doesn't really matter as much if the fan base is privy to that information. Those in power just need to be in lock-step.
But if Raider Nation has to endure another season like the one that they just did, they'll want to know where to put the onus. Brady has to be involved in the quarterback evaluation process, obviously, but he showed that he has a knack for identifying head coach talent, too, with his pursuit of Johnson.
Perhaps with the chance to land a young quarterback, stability at the general manager post, a handful of promising young players and over $100 million to spend in free agency, the Raiders will be an attractive job anyway, and they'll be able to turn things around.
Without unity and clarity about everyone's roles and involvement, however, none of that can happen.