Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce might still be there with the Raiders if not for Tom Brady
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Sunday that owner Mark Davis had “reservations” about firing his general manager and coach until Brady “pushed” him to do so.
Brady felt “a complete reset was needed” after a 4-13 season, the first full season under Telesco and Pierce.
The 46-year-old Pierce, a Super Bowl-winning linebacker with the Giants, was named interim head coach midway through the 2023 season following the firing of Josh McDaniels.
Prior to joining the Raiders in January 2024, Telesco served as the Chargers' general manager from January 2013 to December 2023.
An insider told the newspaper that Brady will be at the forefront of the quest to secure successors to the coach and GM.
“This is Tom's show now,” the source said.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, was approved as 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 Burkhart — two years after agreeing to a 10-year, $375 million contract with the network.
With his current broadcasting duties, Brady is limited in the amount of 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, named former New England quarterback Mike Vrabel as their next head coach on Sunday.
Although Brady, 47, was preparing to invite Fox to playoff games, attracting potential coaching candidates to the Raiders was also a priority.
As of Monday, the Raiders had spoken with Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting, “both Davis and Brady were involved.”
Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll will also meet with the team on Monday.
Johnson — one of the most sought-after candidates on the market — reportedly planned to talk with three clubs (Bears, Jaguars and Patriots), “but the job of selling Brady, through brokers, made the difference,” MMQB's Albert Breer reported Monday.
It remains to be seen whether the Raiders will add Mike McCarthy to their roster of coaching candidates following his departure from the Cowboys on Monday after five seasons as Dallas' head coach.
