The Raiders just suffered through one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
Tom Brady is getting a chance to clean up his mess.
And Tom Brady made one move that has Raiders fans questioning his judgment all over again.
Brady gets another shot after disastrous first season as Raiders minority owner
Tom Brady became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in October 2024 with great fanfare and expectations that his winning pedigree would finally turn around the NFL's most dysfunctional franchise.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion got the NFL's blessing to own a piece of the team while continuing his work as Fox's lead NFL analyst.
Raiders owner Mark Davis sold Brady his stake at a below-market rate specifically to bring stability to the organization.
Brady's first big move? Pushing hard for Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith.
How'd that work out? The Raiders just finished 3-14, tied for the worst record in the NFL.
Carroll got fired after one disastrous season where the offense ranked dead last in nearly every category.
Smith threw a league-high 17 interceptions and got sacked 55 times before the Raiders shut him down for the season finale.
Mark Davis announced that General Manager John Spytek will lead the Raiders' coaching search "in close collaboration with Tom Brady."
That means Brady has his fingerprints all over the next hire.
And the rumor mill is already churning with Brady's preferred candidates.
Brady wants to recreate the Patriots dynasty in Vegas
According to multiple reports, Brady is pushing to bring Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores to Las Vegas as head coach with former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator.
Both coaches spent years under Bill Belichick in New England during Brady's championship runs — Flores from 2004-2018 and Daboll across two separate stints totaling nine seasons.
The Patriots connection makes sense on paper.
Brady knows both coaches and trusts their systems.
But Raiders fans are wondering if Brady learned anything from last year's disaster.
The Josh McDaniels experiment already proved that former Patriots coaches don't automatically succeed in Las Vegas.
McDaniels, who was Brady's offensive coordinator in New England, got hired as Raiders head coach in 2022.
He lasted less than two seasons before getting fired midway through 2023.
The Raiders are now looking for their fourth head coach in four years.
That's not stability — that's chaos with a Patriots logo slapped on it.
Flores brings baggage that should make Davis nervous
Brian Flores has the defensive credentials to be a top head coach candidate.
He was Miami's head coach from 2019-2021 and went 24-25 with no playoff appearances.
After the Dolphins fired him, Flores sued the NFL and four teams for racial discrimination — a lawsuit that's still pending and has created a major problem for his coaching prospects.
Teams are terrified to interview him because he's already used private conversations with owners as ammunition in his lawsuit.
The Vikings' defense ranked fifth in the NFL this season under Flores, who blitzes more than any coordinator in football.
Mark Davis has a history of not caring about controversies — the Raiders once hired Jon Gruden despite his well-known personality issues.
But even Davis should hesitate before bringing in someone who might record every conversation and use it against the organization later.
Brady and Flores reportedly have a good relationship from their Patriots days.
Flores was even on board with Miami potentially bringing Brady in before the lawsuit blew up that plan.
But a "good relationship" doesn't guarantee Flores won't sue the Raiders if things go south.
Raiders need offense, Brady wants defense
The Raiders finished dead last in total offense, scoring, and rushing this season.
They averaged 14.2 points per game — the worst in football.
Quarterback is the most important position to fix with the No. 1 overall pick.
Most draft experts expect Las Vegas to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick.
A rookie quarterback needs an offensive-minded head coach who can develop him.
Brian Flores is a defensive specialist.
That's the exact opposite of what the Raiders need right now.
Sure, Brady wants to pair Flores with Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator to handle that side.
But Daboll just got fired by the Giants midway through this season after his offense fell apart.
He won Coach of the Year in 2022 when Daniel Jones accidentally played well for half a season.
Since then? The Giants' offense has been a disaster under Daboll.
And now Brady wants him running the show for a rookie quarterback in Las Vegas?
The Raiders need someone who can fix the offense immediately, not experiment with a coordinator who just failed at his last job.
Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak would make infinitely more sense.
He just turned Sam Darnold into a legitimate NFL quarterback and led Seattle to the No. 1 seed.
But Brady isn't interested in Kubiak because he doesn't have Patriots connections.
This is the same thinking that led to the Pete Carroll disaster.
Brady prioritized his comfort level over what the Raiders actually needed.
Carroll was 74 years old, hadn't coached in a year, and brought his two sons as offensive assistants.
Players thought Brady would deliver Matthew Stafford at quarterback after the two had conversations about joining forces.
Instead they got Geno Smith, who proceeded to have the worst season of his career.
Fourth time's the charm for dysfunction in Vegas
The Raiders haven't won a playoff game since January 2003 — more than two decades ago.
They've made just two playoff appearances in the past 22 years.
Even the Cleveland Browns have had more postseason success during that span.
But at least the Browns can blame decades of organizational dysfunction under multiple owners.
The Raiders have had the Davis family running things the entire time.
Mark Davis inherited the team from his father Al Davis in 2011.
Since then, the Raiders have gone through 10 head coaches in 14 seasons.
That's not bad luck — that's a pattern of terrible decision-making.
And now Tom Brady is leading the search for head coach number 11.
Brady's reputation as the greatest quarterback ever doesn't automatically translate to front office success.
Matt Millen was one of the best linebackers of his generation.
He destroyed the Detroit Lions as GM and set the franchise back a decade.
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever.
His decisions as owner of the Charlotte Hornets have been disasters for years.
Winning championships as a player requires completely different skills than evaluating coaching talent and building organizations.
Brady's first attempt at building a winner in Las Vegas produced the worst season in recent Raiders history.
His second attempt is reportedly doubling down on the failed Patriots Way approach.
At some point, Mark Davis needs to ask himself if selling Brady that ownership stake was actually the stabilizing move he thought it would be.
Or if Brady is just another celebrity owner playing fantasy football with a real NFL franchise.
Sources:
- Scott Thompson, "Tom Brady will help lead Raiders head coach search alongside GM, owner Mark Davis says," Fox News, January 5, 2026.
- Mike Florio, "Rumors fly of Brian Flores to Raiders, with Brian Daboll as OC," NBC Sports, January 3, 2026.
- Ryan McFadden, "What does Pete Carroll's exit mean for the Raiders, Geno Smith?" ESPN, January 6, 2026.
- Adam Schefter, "Raiders fire HC Pete Carroll following his first season in Las Vegas," NFL.com, January 6, 2026.
- Josina Anderson, "Raiders Reveal Telling Tom Brady Development Amid Pete Carroll Firing," Newsweek, January 5, 2026.