Why the Raiders Must Bet on Tom Brady

Whether you’ve cursed his name or proudly worn his jersey on Sundays, Tom Brady is the kind of guy you’d rather have on your team than against it. As a Bills fan for over a decade—someone who’s always been too prideful to draft him to my fantasy team or even call him by his actual name most days—this isn’t an easy thing to admit.

Brady is no stranger to being rooted against and roasted, whether it’s in opposing stadiums or on Netflix. In fact, he’s been known to invite such opportunities and thrive in those environments. People love to hate someone who seems to have it all, but it’s easy to forget that the man we now call the GOAT started as the ultimate underdog.

Most football fans know the story: the seven-time Super Bowl champ had to sit through six rounds of the 2000 NFL Draft before receiving the call from the New England Patriots. There, he’d be expected to sit fourth string behind Drew Bledsoe… and John Friesz… and Michael Bishop.

Despite an impressive college career at Michigan with 5,351 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, his less-than-impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine left many doubting his ability to succeed in the league. He was the seventh quarterback drafted that year, and the “Brady Six” are now more infamous for being picked ahead of him than for their accomplishments. No one could have blamed Brady for questioning whether he should have taken the seemingly easier path with baseball in 1995, when he was drafted by the Montreal Expos right out of high school.

But even at the young age of 18, Tom Brady wasn’t one to shy away from a challenge. After struggling with position changes and a low batting average early in his high school baseball career, he managed to claw his way up to fifth in the batting order by the second half of his senior year. His high school coach, Pete Jensen, told the San Francisco Examiner, “You’ve got to give Tommy a lot of credit. He couldn’t buy a hit. He was below .200 for a while. But he’s really come back.”

Perhaps that mentality is why, during his 2000 NFL Draft Day conference call with the Patriots, when asked if he was disappointed about how low he was drafted, he didn’t hesitate in saying he wasn’t. As rare as it seems now to associate Brady’s name with anything but greatness, a closer look at his journey shows a man who seems to love the grind of climbing to the top as much as, if not more than, sitting at the peak.

Just as he worked his way up the batting order, Brady worked his way from fourth string to backup to starting quarterback, spending 20 seasons with the Patriots and winning as many Super Bowls with them as the number of draft rounds he sat through.

By the time he left New England in 2020, he’d already secured his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time, turned a $2.5 million rookie contract into $350 million in career earnings, and made sure every team that passed on him in 2000 would never live it down.

Most people would have called it a career at that point—maybe heading to Florida, partying on a boat, and enjoying some avocado tequila. But Brady didn’t move to Florida for that. He moved there to turn a team that hadn’t won a playoff game in eighteen years into Super Bowl champions in his very first season. Only then did he allow himself to celebrate on a boat—Lombardi Trophy in hand.

Not that Raider Nation needs a reminder, but the last time the Raiders won a playoff game was back in 2002. So, why would Tom Brady, of all people, choose the Raiders? Honestly, it’s classic Brady. This is a guy who loves a challenge. He wants to turn another struggling team into a winning one. And I wouldn’t bet against him bringing hope to the Raiders’ loyal and long-suffering fans.

Raider Nation deserves a minority owner like Brady. Coming from someone who knows what it’s like to be part of a fanbase that’s mockingly dedicated to a team (the Bills hadn’t won a playoff game since I was born until 2020), it’s obvious Brady has something most others in this position would lack: the ability to thrive under the criticism. From being the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft to becoming a five-time Super Bowl MVP who holds over fifty NFL records, Brady has shown time and again that doubters only fuel him.

What’s equally impressive is his ability to surround himself with the right people to get the win. Sure, he handpicked a team of greats to join him in Tampa, but even letting a room full of ex-teammates and comedians roast him on Netflix earned him $25 million and somehow even more respect.

Anyone who thinks Brady’s minority stake in the Raiders won’t lead to major changes is sorely mistaken. On a recent "Let’s Go!" podcast episode, Brady’s former Patriots’ head coach, Bill Belichick, was asked, “Did Tom Brady make you work harder?” He answered without hesitation, “Absolutely. Every meeting I went into, I had to be as well-prepared as he was… It forced me to go back and be a little more attentive and more detailed.” Belichick then recalled moments when Tom Brady would contribute valuable insights, recalling details from games over the years that helped justify certain decisions. Brady's ability to see how minute details impact the game as a whole has been a strength long before analyzing from a bird's-eye view in the booth.

The firings of head coach Antonio Pierce and GM Tom Telesco signal that the Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, already trusts Brady’s instincts and is looking to him to help fill those roles. In his introductory press conference as the new Raiders’ head coach, Pete Carroll made sure to note that he is also putting his faith in Brady to help strengthen the team, starting with the search for a franchise quarterback. “We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us, and to see clearly, and we're going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has. He's that unique.”

It’s also worth noting that this move doesn’t seem to be just another house to flip for Brady. He’s also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Aces, proving that he’s making more of a home of Vegas. If Tom Brady is going all-in on Vegas sports, it’s safe to bet that he knows exactly what it’ll take to bring about positive changes for the franchise. Raider Nation, your patience and perseverance might finally pay off.

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