NFL Rumors: Tom Brady's Raiders Ownership Deal 'Not Dead,' Approval Vote Not Planned

Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady's efforts to purchase a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders from owner Mark Davis have stalled, but a deal is "definitely not dead," per a source to Mark Maske of the Washington Post:

"Tom Brady's proposed deal with Mark Davis to purchase a minority ownership stake in the Raiders is currently not expected to be put to an approval vote of NFL owners at their meeting next week in Dallas, source says. But the deal is 'definitely not dead,' another source says.

"The NFL finance committee has had concerns about some aspects of Tom Brady's proposed deal to become a part-owner of the Raiders, including the amount of the discount being given to Brady. But the committee has left open the possibility of an acceptable deal being worked out."

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham first reported in May that Brady, who retired last February after a 23-season career, was in "deep discussions" to become a limited partner of the Raiders.

Brady previously purchased a stake in the reigning back-to-back WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces from Davis in March. Another deal to have a piece of the Raiders certainly made sense after the Aces stake purchase, but Brady has encountered roadblocks.

Per Maske and Nicki Jhabvala (also of the Washington Post) in October, the NFL's finance committee had not signed off on the deal, with concerns surrounding "the discounted price Raiders principal owner Mark Davis is offering Brady."

They added that the deal would not be approved "without modifications" but that Brady could have a five-to-10 percent stake in the team should it eventually go through.

Forbes valued the Raiders at $6.2 billion last August, the sixth-highest figure in the NFL. Per Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Brady was looking to buy 10 percent of the team for $175 million. That's 10 percent of $1.75 billion, far less than what the Raiders are actually worth.

At any rate, the deal isn't dead, as Maske noted, but it's clear there's work to be done before the league approves. Ownership groups from at least 24 of the league's 32 teams must approve any deal before it's made official.