How Chip Kelly Defined the Raiders' True Underlying Concerns

Raiders owner Mark Davis made it clear that when he brought in Tom Brady as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady was going to have a major say about important decisions when it comes to the franchise on the field and whatever impacts it. Brady got his first taste of doing that this past offseason when the Raiders were looking for a new regime to bring in and get this Raiders team heading in the right direction.

The Raiders brought in a new regime and personnel people. Head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek, and a big one for the offense was offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. That was supposed to be the group that was going to improve the Raiders this season and get them going. That has not been the case at all.

Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady looks on from the sideline before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Not a Good Start for Brady as Minority Owner

For Brady, he had his voice heard, and some big decisions were made, and personnel were brought in because of him. It has all come crashing down for the Raiders this season. The Raiders have been a shell of themselves, and the improvement has not been there all season. The Silver and Black have also fired Chip Kelly after the offense has not been a factor for this all season.

“Chip Kelly let the cat out of the bag a long time ago [when he] said, ‘When I sat for an interview, the guy who got me on board was Tom Brady.’ He basically said that Tom represented the ownership group in the interview. He pointed at Tom Brady as being his guy that helped persuade him to end up taking this job with the Raiders,” said Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

Oct 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis during game three of the 2025 WNBA Finals at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“So not a great look for him to get fired and have been described as sort of a Brady inspired move, which when he ended up on Pete Carroll’s staff, people were like, ‘What’s the connection there? Wait a minute, what’s the connection between Pete and Chip Kelly?'” People weren’t making the natural connector to him becoming Pete’s offensive coordinator. And then after what Chip Kelly said, people were like, ‘The connector was Tom.’ He was just painted as a Tom guy.

“So what now has transpired? You have people through the league, particularly Patriots people, ex-Patriots people, who have proliferated throughout the NFL, who still have relationships with Tom, who still keep an eye on what’s going on with Tom, who are now asking, ‘Is everybody on the same page in that organization?’

Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) talks to head coach Pete Carroll in game against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"And one of them I was talking to today said, ‘Look, man, I think Pete’s on his page. I think Mark Davis is on his page. And I think Tom is on his page… and I don’t think any of those three pages are together."

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