NFL Rumors: Tom Brady Will Advise Raiders HC Decision with Antonio Pierce on Hot Seat

Tom Brady could have a say in whether Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce will be returning for a second full season in 2025.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini said on Friday's episode of Scoop City that she believes Brady will "be part of" the Raiders' coaching decision after his minority stake in the team was approved by NFL team owners in October.

"[Raiders owner] Mark Davis is very passionate about leaning on Tom Brady for thoughts—especially when they want to go pick a quarterback at some point here," Russini said (23:50 mark of the video below.) "Whether that means the draft or that means free agency, if it means the quarterbacks that are on their roster right now.

"But what I've learned recently is it's not just going to be Tom Brady's thoughts on the quarterback position, which would make sense, right? …But really how involved Tom Brady is going to be in all regards in everything that has to do with the Las Vegas Raiders.

"Which, look, you're Mark Davis. You're frustrated. You haven't been able to get this thing right in a long time. So they're going to have to make a decision about their head coach with Antonio Pierce. I've talked to people around the league who believe that this is probably going to be it for AP. …But I think Tom Brady is going to have a big hand in helping Mark Davis navigate the next steps here."

The report comes after Davis told reporters at the annual owners meetings earlier this month that he wants Brady "to have a huge voice" in the Raiders' organization.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Davis sees Brady's next role as taking "charge of football operations, working above the general manager and coach."

"It's part of building the infrastructure of the organization, which is something we didn't have — a football person on that side of it that's not a coach or as a manager," Davis said at the annual meetings, per Bonsignore. "Somebody that can oversee the whole picture. And I believe Tom, in time, will be the person that can do that."

Davis added: "Obviously, I talk to him all the time, and his input is greatly valued and will always be valued."

Firing Pierce and hiring a new head coach would mean the Raiders would be paying a total of three head coaches and two general managers, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones recently reported.

The high front office turnover in Las Vegas has been costly for the franchise, which spent approximately $85 million when firing the team's previous leadership team midway through the 2023 season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But Jones noted that Davis "has recently gotten a cash infusion" after selling multiple minority stakes in his franchise this fall. That could allow him, and Brady, the flexibility to decide to move on from Pierce despite having the head coach under contract for 2025.

The Raiders are 3-12 and will likely be looking to restructure around a new quarterback next season after Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell's struggles this fall. It sounds like Brady will get to have a say in what that rebuild looks like.