Tom Brady has moved one step closer to joining the Raiders’ ownership group after raising his offer for a reported 10% stake in the team, Mark Maske of The Washington Post reports.
Brady originally received a hefty discount from Raiders owner Mark Davis, but concerns from the NFL finance committee forced Brady to improve his bid. The finance committee can now recommend approval of the deal to the rest of the owners ahead of its meeting in Atlanta on October 15, Maske adds.
If the vote does not happen then, the matter would likely be taken up at the December ownership meeting in Dallas. Of course, owners meetings have repeatedly come and gone without Brady’s ownership bid being addressed. Recent reporting has pointed to that pattern changing, and the all-time QB great is zeroing in on joining the league’s ownership ranks.
Brady is still receiving a discount on his ownership stake relative to market price, but his revised offer is significantly greater than the original and should be enough to sway the finance committee as well as the full ownership body. Now that Brady has cleared this financial hurdle, he is expected to be approved by at least 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners, who view the seven-time Super Bowl champion as a strong ambassador for the league.
The restrictions imposed on Brady’s new FOX broadcasting gig before the start of the regular season were an early signal that Brady would eventually succeed in his bid to join Davis in Las Vegas. Brady is not permitted to enter any team’s facilities other than the Raiders’, nor can he take part in production meetings leading up to games he covers to avoid any conflicts of interest. He will also be subject to league rules prohibiting public criticism of referees or other teams as well as the NFL’s gambling and tampering policies.
Brady’s ownership stake will also close the door on any late-40s return as a player. He attempted to join the Dolphins as a player/owner during his first retirement in 2022, which ultimately ended with a return to Tampa Bay for his age-45 season. Since his second retirement in 2023, he has hinted at the idea of a comeback but declined to take an opportunity with the 49ers last year.