The Las Vegas Raiders have a new sheriff in town, one minority owner Tom Brady knows extremely well.
So the former NFL quarterback great/current Raiders owner and FOX commentator shared some intel on how coach Pete Carroll is doing ahead of the Raiders’ opening game against Brady’s former team, the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Carroll, of course, spent last year outside of the NFL after coaching the Seattle Seahawks for the previous 15 seasons. Carroll and Co. lost to the Brady and the Patriots 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015.
Yet, Carroll and Brady, together, are trying to bring the Raiders to heights they haven’t reached since 2002. The Raiders have only made the playoffs once since moving to Las Vegas, in 2021, and have not won a playoff game since the 2002 AFC Championship Game.
What Did Tom Brady Say About Pete Carroll?
Brady is one of the all-time greats and has tended to surround himself with superstar-caliber players and coaches throughout his football career.
So the fact he helped pick Carroll, a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks who also won two national championships at USC, speaks volumes about the soon-to-be 74-year-old coach.
“Pete’s really done a tremendous job, like a lot of coaches with veteran experience are able to do,” Brady told Cris Collinsworth on his show on Pro-Football Focus. “They run a real program. Nothing really surprises them. Pete has had a tremendous record of success when he was at Seattle, obviously when he was at USC. He’s a tremendous coach and leader.”
The Raiders plucked Carroll to keep up with the other Hall of Fame-caliber coaches in the AFC West. Brady cited how essential having someone with Carroll’s resume and experience is, especially while facing off against three-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs), Super Bowl XLIV winner Sean Payton (Denver Broncos) and FBS national-champion and Super Bowl coach Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers).
“They’re in a division where Andy Reid is very much the same; Jim Harbaugh has done an incredible job; Sean Payton, we all know the kind of coach he is,” Brady said. “I think the Raiders having a figurehead at that position gives them a great chance to compete, so I think it’s going to be an exciting division. I think it’s one of the top-two divisions in football right now.”
What Did Tom Brady Say About The Raiders Players?
The Raiders have had a talent-deficient roster, especially compared to the Chiefs and Chargers, for the past three seasons. Yet, Las Vegas is narrowed the gap especially this off-season.
Of course, the Raiders got quarterback Geno Smith in a trade with the Seahawks, shoring up a position where they were tied for the third-fewest touchdown passes (19) and tied for the fifth-most interceptions thrown (16) last year.
Add Smith and first-year offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, plus 2025 first-round pick running back Ashton Jeanty, to NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Brock Bowers and there is a foundation laid for Raiders fans to get excited for.
“There’s definitely some good players,” Brady said. “They’ve proven, through the off-season, there’s a big commitment that those players have made.”
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