With four games left in a lost season in Las Vegas, the Raiders are already looking ahead to the future.
At 2-11, the Silver and Black are tied with the New York Giants for the worst record in football and are in the running for the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Raiders have many pressing needs, from replacing Davante Adams at wide receiver to filling out the defensive line, but there is no more critical choice to make this offseason than finding who lead Las Vegas under center.
Thankfully, for owner Mark Davis, the Raiders have recently welcomed in someone with expertise on the subject matter.
Tom Brady, who officially joined Las Vegas' ownership in October as a limited partner, is expected to be heavily involved in choosing the Raiders' next quarterback, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning.
Davis told Rapoport that Brady will have a "huge voice" in picking Las Vegas' franchise signal-caller, adding he has always been seeking someone to help oversee the football division and that the seven-time Super Bowl champion could play that role.
The Raiders have cycled through quarterbacks this season. They started offseason acquisition Gardner Minshew to begin the campaign before injuries forced them to alternate between him and Aidan O'Connell. On Monday, Las Vegas could be on its third starting QB of the season, Desmond Ridder.
The results have been paltry. Through 14 weeks, Las Vegas is 16th in passing offense (2,911 yards) but tied for 26th in touchdowns (14) and interceptions (13).
In 2025, Minshew, O'Connell and Carter Bradley are all under contract, but with the Raiders in prime position to select in the top five of the draft, the QB of their immediate future may not be on their roster.
Brady has been busy in his post-playing career, balancing his foray into team ownership with a broadcasting career at FOX and other business opportunities. But he has yet to be involved in football operations at any level.
How Brady's relationship with Las Vegas' current decision-making apparatus will take shape is not clear. Davis hired front office veteran Tom Telesco last winter as the Raiders' general manager and promoted Antonio Pierce to full-time head coach after his interim stint taking over for Josh McDaniels, who was coincidentally (or not) Brady's former offensive coordinator in New England.
What is evident is Brady, 47, will be by Davis' side in some capacity as the owner navigates Las Vegas' return to relevance in the coming seasons.
"It’s part of building the infrastructure of the organization, which is something we didn’t have -- a football person on that side of it that’s not a coach or as a manager. Somebody that can oversee the whole picture," Davis told reporters this week, via the Las Vegas Review Journal. "And I believe Tom, in time, will be the person that can do that."