The NFL has positioned important restrictions on Tom Brady throughout his time as a broadcaster. Because the future Corridor of Fame quarterback is now part-owner of the Raiders, he’s prohibited from speaking, attending practices, traveling to golf equipment’ services or doing onsite interview prep with coaches earlier than broadcast assignments. However a loophole might affect the Raiders’ teaching search.
Brady will be in Detroit for FOX’s divisional-round game (Commanders-Lions), and he would have a chance to both closely evaluate Ben Johnson (and Lions DC Aaron Glenn) and continue speaking with a coach who looks to be — at this juncture, at least — the Raiders’ early favorite.
Raiders-Johnson momentum is building, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Clearly residing as a frontrunner right here, Johnson is “severely contemplating” the Raiders, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes. In predicting suits, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson positioned Johnson in Vegas.
Whereas Mark Davis is technically atop the group, it’s extensively believed Brady is working the staff’s HC and GM pursuits. A report pointed to this search being “Tom’s show,” and Tafur presents extra in that course by including that the minority proprietor was closely concerned within the choices to fireside Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco final week. Telesco was in the end canned as a result of the Raiders wished to begin recent quite than pair a brand new coach with a holdover GM.
It’s irregular for a part-owner to have this a lot affect in searches of this magnitude, however Brady’s stature within the recreation makes him a particular case. The 47-year-old exec’s presence is believed to have driven Johnson to add the Raiders to his interview list. The Lions’ OC has been choosy about jobs since first becoming a member of a training carousel in 2023, and he famously backed out because the Commanders’ frontrunner final yr. For Johnson to then be open to taking a Raiders job regardless of the dearth of a quarterback presence and contemplating Davis’ lack of persistence with coaches lately, it might definitely say rather a lot about Brady’s capability to recruit.
Las Vegas could also be eyeing a Detroit-centric plan, with Tafur including Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark who is believed to have an early leg up on the competitors for the GM job. This might be an attention-grabbing growth, as Newmark has not acquired an interview request simply but. Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, Steelers staffer Sheldon White and ex-Brady Michigan teammate John Spytek — a Buccaneers assistant GM — are the interviewees thus far. Spytek held early momentum as a candidate to watch; Newmark making up floor can be attention-grabbing as a consequence of his historical past.
Although Newmark left for Washington in 2024, he spent greater than 20 years as a Detroit exec. That clearly covers the time Johnson has spent with the franchise, and Tafur provides the Raiders view Newmark as a staffer who might pair properly with the 38-year-old play-caller.
Brady started vetting Johnson when he did a Week 9 Lions-Packers broadcast, Tafur presents. This might clearly be an uncommon manner for a franchise to assemble intel on a candidate, and it clearly calls Brady’s FOX function into query so far as objectivity goes. Contemplating the steam Johnson has gained with the Raiders, the continuing Brady conflict-of-interest subplot will proceed Saturday.
Johnson is still in play for the Bears and Jaguars’ jobs, and whereas it isn’t recognized if the groups have him as a favourite, Mike Vrabel being off the carousel leaves Johnson as the most popular candidate primarily based on historical past and the Lions’ dominant season on offense. The Jags are believed to be heavily interested. Johnson can not conduct any second interviews till a Tremendous Bowl bye week, or if the Lions are eradicated earlier.
For Johnson to again out of the Commanders’ search solely to hitch the Raiders would represents a borderline coup for Brady, and it might add much more intrigue to a division that has seen large teaching expertise be a part of Andy Reid lately. Johnson would be a part of Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh within the AFC West. The Raiders nonetheless have interviews to undergo, and Johnson’s previous ought to remind this isn’t a performed deal. However this a lot noise concerning the scenario is definitely attention-grabbing this early within the course of.
