The biggest indication that quarterback Tom Brady is serious about remaining retired this time around arrived on Monday afternoon.
NFL insider Albert Breer tweeted that the sale of a minority share of the Las Vegas Raiders to Brady “has been agreed to and submitted to the NFL for approval.” Breer added that the transaction won’t become official during the ongoing springtime league meetings but said that the “ball is rolling on it.”
It was learned earlier this month that Brady was “in deep discussions to become a limited partner” of the Raiders. The seven-time Super Bowl champion bought an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA in March. Like the Raiders, the Aces are owned by Mark Davis.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio mentioned how the alleged plan last year was for Brady to become a limited partner with the Miami Dolphins en route to “eventually” playing quarterback for that organization.
While Florio suggested that Brady now will only be able to return to the playing field with the Raiders if he wishes to un-retire at any point, that franchise signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year contract that could be worth up to $72.5M with $33.75M guaranteed in March.
Florio previously pointed out that Garoppolo’s agreement essentially “can be a one-year, $24.25M deal,” but even those financials likely would prevent Brady from being an option for Las Vegas until 2024 when he’s 46 years old.
Brady has repeatedly declined to confirm this offseason he is 100% committed to staying retired and is taking at least one “gap year” away from the league before he becomes the lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports via a 10-year, $375M deal. Some insiders have openly expressed doubts that Brady will ever call a game for any network, but it sounds like the future Hall of Famer is preparing to catch NFL action as a spectator and a limited partner of the Raiders this fall.
