NFL legend and FOX broadcaster Tom Brady should finally be able to add limited partner to his NFL résumé.
With the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback making his TV debut on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET calling the Cowboys-Browns game alongside No. 1 play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, Brady will do so knowing -- at long last -- his bid to own 10% of the Las Vegas Raiders is on its way to approval.
Sources say his approval as a limited partner could be voted on and approved by league ownership as early as October, but there is also a possibility it is done at the December labor seminar and Special League Meeting. Either way, the expectation is that Brady’s approval is final by the time the 2024 season concludes.
The matter currently remains under review by the league's finance committee.
This should end a long-running saga for Brady, who first thought his purchase would become finalized in May of 2023. But for over a year, it was hung up by the NFL’s Finance Committee with questions about the valuation of the percentage set to be sold to Brady. The price Brady would pay was increased this past February in line with the potential market value. By March, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the situation was "progressing".
“We go through a very thorough process on all initial transfers,” Goodell said in March at the Annual League Meeting, “so we're just going through that process.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis told NFL.com, “I have no comment at this time" before expressing his excitement for the Raiders' regular-season opener on Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sources with direct knowledge of this situation said that many of the issues such as the valuation and Brady's role as a FOX broadcaster have been addressed and worked through -- and are now in a much better place. All sides are purported to be happy with the approved valuation of Brady’s stake, which explains why it’s set to move from the finance committee to the overall ownership vote, where it requires three-fourths for approval.
Meanwhile, Brady will buy a piece of the Raiders knowing that it limits his ability for access to do his job broadcasting for FOX. Brady’s restrictions include not being allowed to be in another team’s facility, not watching practice and no participation in production meetings. His entire production team would be in the meetings, however.
Generally, the production meetings are where color analysts get insight from teams. Brady is also barred from criticizing officials, though what’s criticism and what’s analysis would be open to interpretation.
While he waited a year to begin calling games on FOX, Brady has worked privately on his craft, calling countless games to prepare for what should be the most highly anticipated announcer debut in years.