Tom Brady might not be the final decision maker in Las Vegas (or, is he?) when it comes to coaching hires, trades, free agent signings, or draft selections (or, is he?), but his voice and opinion is almost certainly at the top of the food chain within the Raiders' front office when it comes to the franchise.
Brady's role with the Raiders, in addition to his broadcasting job for Fox Sports, caused some commotion for a short time, but today, it doesn't receive all that much attention anymore, and it shouldn't, because why does it matter? He's Tom Brady.
Brady's role with the Raiders is likely more involved than it would be for others in his same role in other NFL organizations. So, when it comes to who the Raiders might draft at quarterback, Brady will get a say. The same goes for who they hire (or have hired) as the new head coach — Brady will get a say. Brady said a lot about Klint Kubiak recently, and if Brady has good things to say, that carries a lot of weight going forward.
Tom Brady speaks on Seattle Seahawks' Klint Kubiak's coaching abilities ahead of the Super Bowl
Without Kubiak, the Seattle Seahawks may not be where they are today, on the precipice of vieing for a Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Could an argument be made that had Kubiak not been Seattle's offensive coordinator this season, would Sam Darnold have found the same level of success under someone else?
Maybe, but maybe not. It's irrelevant now, of course, because Kubiak was massive in Darnold's season, and the Seahawk's having one of the NFL's top offenses. But it was Kubiak's play design and calling against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game two weekends ago that had Brady singing the coordinator's praises recently.
While appearing on the Let's Go! podcast, Brady was asked about Kubiak, where he explained what makes Kubiak such a strong play caller.
"Klint [Kubiak] has played to the strengths of that team (Seahawks), and last week's game, I thought he did a lot of great things against a very talented Rams defense," Brady said. "That's what it took for them to win. I thought the Rams were a terrific team. That was a 50/50 game last week, I thought, in Seattle... It took a great Seattle effort in all three phases of the game to get the win, and that's what it's gonna take here in Santa Clara this weekend."
Brady, without saying it directly, loves Kubiak, and that's why it's expected that he will be the new head coach of the Raiders. Brady is dead on when he says Kubiak played to the Seahawks' strengths.
When Darnold was on fire, Kubiak allowed him and Jaxon-Smith Njigba to cook. When Darnold was struggling with turnovers, Kubiak relied heavily on Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonett in the run game.
Kubiak adjusted well in every scenario all season long, which are exact components that make for a solid head coach. Brady being the one to make these comments as a member of the Raiders ownership speaks volumes, though.
Clearly, he's all in on Kubiak, and that level of support from someone who holds the pedigree that Brady does has to make any incoming coach feel pretty confident.