Tom Brady won’t make Raiders any better unless he makes major decision, according to Mike Florio

Tom Brady‘s involvement with the Las Vegas Raiders has once again become a talking point, with NBC’s Mike Florio questioning whether the seven-time Super Bowl champion can have the desired impact without becoming more deeply committed to the organization.

Brady joined the Raiders‘ ownership group in 2023 and has remained involved in football operations despite not serving as a traditional full-time executive.

That arrangement has prompted debate about how much influence he should have over the franchise’s most important decisions and whether his other professional commitments prevent him from being fully immersed in Las Vegas.

Florio believes at least one rival team is hoping the current arrangement remains unchanged.

“I basically got a tongue in cheek request from another team. ‘Stop talking about the Brady stuff. Stop talking about it,’” Florio said on PFT Live on Friday.

The request, according to Florio, came with a blunt explanation for why an opposing organization would prefer Brady to remain in his current role.

“Why? ‘He’s not going to make them any better, as long as he’s doing all this other sh*t. So, let him, let him keep doing what he’s doing. Let him think that he’s in a position to turn this thing around, because he’s not,’” Florio said the team representative told him.

The unnamed representative then contrasted Brady‘s approach with former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan, who moved into a full-time broadcasting career after retiring from football.

“‘I’m more worried about Matt Ryan,’ I was told, ‘than I am Tom Brady, because Matt Ryan, right, he loaded up the truck and moved to Atlanta,” Florio added. “He’s there. He didn’t try to do both jobs. He’s all in, all the time. You got to be all in, all the time to be effective.’”

Influence extends beyond physical presence

Florio‘s criticism is not necessarily based on the idea that Brady has no influence in Las Vegas. In fact, reports have suggested the opposite. Brady has been linked to several major football decisions since becoming part of the Raiders’ ownership structure.

One of the most notable examples involved Chip Kelly, who became the team’s offensive coordinator after developing a relationship with Brady that dates back more than a decade.

Kelly and Brady reportedly worked together during the 2025 season, including preparation for a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

An NFL social-media post discussing their collaboration was reportedly deleted after briefly stating that the pair had been working “closely together” during the week.

That remote involvement has become part of the broader discussion about Brady‘s role. Florio‘s argument is that having influence without being fully present could leave the Raiders in an awkward middle ground.

The issue has become even more prominent because of Fernando Mendoza, the quarterback selected first overall by the Raiders.

Florio recently criticized the idea of keeping Mendoza on the sideline for an extended period, arguing that Las Vegas needs to maximize the value of such a significant investment.

“I’m not even going to be that wishy washy about it. I don’t like the idea of the number one overall pick in the draft not playing,” Florio said.

“The Raiders need a spark. The Raiders need to get a return on their investment. 

“And the sooner Fernando Mendoza plays, the sooner the game slows down. I hate to think that this number one approach to sitting Fernando Mendoza for maybe a full season is simply because that’s what Tommy wants.

“I also hate to think that Tommy wants it because he didn’t play as a rookie. I didn’t play as a rookie, so that must be the right approach for everyone…”

Florio believes Brady‘s own experience as a young quarterback should not necessarily dictate what happens with Mendoza: “Just because it works specifically for him, doesn’t mean it’s the right way in today’s NFL. 

“I think in today’s NFL, if you’re going to use that number one overall pick on a quarterback, you better get that quarterback ready to play. He better be a guy who you think can play right away. If he’s not, you need to pick somebody else, you need to trade out of that spot.”

The larger question is therefore not whether Brady cares about the Raiders. His involvement in football matters suggests that he does. Instead, Florio is challenging whether Brady‘s current structure gives him enough time and authority to make a meaningful difference.

For a franchise attempting to change its fortunes, that distinction could become increasingly important.

If Brady wants to influence the Raiders‘ direction on a deeper level, Florio‘s argument is straightforward: he may ultimately need to choose the Raiders over some of his other commitments and become “all in, all the time.”

Whether that happens could have a significant impact on how much influence Brady ultimately has over the Raiders‘ next chapter.