Tom Brady set to become minority owner of Las Vegas Raiders, pending NFL approval; Mark Davis “excited”

Tom Brady could finally be retired from the NFL, this time”for real“But that doesn’t mean he’s done with the league. Less than two weeks after ESPN announced the longtime quarterback was in”in-depth discussions“To become a limited partner of the Raiders, Brady and team owner Mark Davis have agreed to a deal that will make the former Patriots and Buccaneers star a minority owner, pending NFL approval.

“We have reached an agreement for Tom Brady to become a partner of the Raiders and we have submitted it to the NFL for approval,” Davis said, via ESPN. “We are thrilled to have Tom join the Raiders.”

In March, shortly after his second retirement in as many years, Brady acquired a stake in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, which is primarily controlled by Davis. Now, the latter has agreed to sell a minority stake in the Raiders to the future Hall of Famer and has submitted the deal to the NFL for approval. Although a vote on the deal will not take place at this week’s spring meeting, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustratedit marks a notable step towards Brady becoming an executive.

This isn’t the first time Brady has made efforts to own an NFL team. After initially retiring from the Buccaneers after the 2021 season, Brady reportedly attempted to become minority owner of the Dolphins, who he apparently also wanted to play for. Miami was later penalized by the NFL for engaging in inappropriate communications with Brady while still under contract with the Bucs.

The Raiders have several notable ties to the Patriots, who of course employed Brady for the first 20 seasons of the QB’s career. Head coach Josh McDaniels is one of the most well-known products of Bill Belichick’s coaching tree, general manager Dave Ziegler is a product of New England’s personnel department, and even the new quarterback- fullback Jimmy Garoppolo began his career with the Pats, entering as the second – round draft pick – and potential successor to Brady – in 2014.

Prior to announcing his retirement at the start of this offseason, Brady, 45, had been speculated as a potential target for the Raiders, who had just left Derek Carr and boasted New England connections.