The Las Vegas Raiders have been mismanaged for years, but things seemed like they would finally be different. Owner Mark Davis welcomed NFL legend Tom Brady into his ownership group.
While Brady doesn’t have a defined role, it was widely reported in the offseason that he had his hands in the team’s football operations. However, it wasn’t clear if that extended beyond the Raiders’ decision-making at head coach and quarterback.
It now sounds like he may have also been closely involved in another questionable decision. The Raiders just fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Brady was pushing for the team to hire him in the first place.
“Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson has taken over as the offensive coordinator in Las Vegas after the team fired Chip Kelly on Sunday,” Russini wrote. “I’m told minority owner Tom Brady was a big advocate of bringing in Kelly to run the offense, and he has shared with some people close to him his disappointment in the team’s overall performance. His frustrations go beyond the offense, too.”
Brady is new to ownership and has never worked in an NFL front office, so it’s OK for him to make mistakes early on, but if he can’t learn from them, the Raiders are in serious trouble.
Brady Didn’t Like Sam Darnold
The Raiders decided to trade for Geno Smith this offseason, which was a move that Brady apparently endorsed. The Seattle Seahawks ended up replacing the veteran quarterback with Sam Darnold on a smaller contract.
He has thrown 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions while leading the Seahawks to an 8-3 record, while Smith has thrown 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions and has led the Raiders to a 2-9 record. If the Raiders offered Darnold the same contract they gave Smith, he likely would’ve picked the team.
It’s hard to argue against the notion that the team would be better off with the former first-round pick at quarterback. Now, Darnold likely wouldn’t have had the same amount of success with the Raiders. The offensive line is a disaster, and the team doesn’t have a wide receiver as good as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but at least Las Vegas wouldn’t have had to give up a third-round pick in the process.
Brady Under Fire for Decisions
Brady is widely considered the greatest football player ever, but great players don’t always make great coaches or front office people. It’s still very early into Brady’s tenure, so there’s time for him to adjust, but the early signs aren’t great.
Fans took shots at the legendary quarterback over how the Raiders are doing.
“20 years later Brady still hurting the Raiders,” one fan commented on Russini’s story.
“Just because you are a great player doesn’t make you a good GM or evaluator,” another fan commented.
Hiring head coach Pete Carroll and Kelly was clearly a mistake, but it’s easy to see the logic in the decision-making. The Raiders swung and missed, so now it’s time to pivot. If Brady whiffs again, it’s going to be a long time before Las Vegas is relevant.
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