Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce may still be in place with the Raiders if not for Tom Brady
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Sunday that owner Mark Davis had “reservations” about firing his GM and coach until Brady “nudged” him to do so.
Brady “felt a total reset was needed” after a 4-13 season, the first full campaign with Telesco and Pierce in charge.
The 46-year-old Pierce, a Super Bowl-winning linebacker with the Giants, had been named interim head coach midway through the 2023 season following the dismissal of Josh McDaniels.
Before joining the Raiders in January 2024, Telesco served as the Chargers’ GM from January 2013 to December 2023.
An insider told the paper that Brady will be at the forefront of the quest to secure coach and GM successors.
“This is Tom’s show now,” the source said.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, was approved as a minority owner of the Raiders in October. He owns five percent of the team.
A month earlier, he began his career as Fox’s lead NFL analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt — two years after agreeing to a 10-year, $375 million contract with the network.
With his current broadcasting duties, Brady is limited in how much hands-on work he can do with the team but has Davis’ ear in an advisory role.
The Raiders are one of six organizations with coaching vacancies, along with the Cowboys, Bears, Jets, Saints and Jaguars.
The Patriots, with whom Brady played for 20 seasons and won six championships, hired former New England linebacker Mike Vrabel as their next head coach Sunday.
Although Brady, 47, has been preparing to call playoff games for Fox, drawing prospective coaching candidates to the Raiders has also been a priority.
As of Monday, the Raiders have spoken with Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Gleen and Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting, “Davis and Brady were both involved.”
Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll will also meet with the team Monday.
Johnson — one of the most sought-after candidates on the market — reportedly planned to speak with three clubs (Bears, Jaguars and Patriots), “but Brady’s sell job, through intermediaries, made the difference,” MMQB’s Albert Breer reported Monday.
It remains to be seen if the Raiders will add Mike McCarthy to their list of coaching candidates following his departure from the Cowboys on Monday after five seasons as Dallas’ head coach.
