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Brady may have hung it up - for good, this time - but he's far from done from the NFL. PIC: Jeff Bottari/Getty Images
The day came a few months back, and even if it wasn't necessarily shocking, many were surprised that it finally came: Tom Brady had retired - for the second time - from pro football. But Monday, it was announced that he certainly won't be going far.
Brady reached an agreement with Mark Davis - whose family have been longtime owners of the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders franchise - to buy a minority stake of the Las Vegas Raiders. He'll become a limited partner in the franchise once the NFL gives its stamp of approval.
"We have come to an agreement for Tom Brady to become a partner in the Raiders and we have submitted it to the NFL for approval," Davis told ESPN. "We're excited for Tom to join the Raiders."
Just two weeks ago, Brady entered what The Athletic called "deep discussions" to take ownership in the Raiders. Of course, it didn't take long, as the appetite was certainly there to expand his portfolio. Brady has been known for entrepreneurial endeavors in recent years. He launched TB12, a lifestyle brand, in 2016; it not only offers performance classes, but functions as a consumer product brand as well. He co-founded Autograph, an NFT startup, with serial entrepreneur Richard Rosenblatt; they recently closed a $170 million Series B round in early 2022. Of course, his $375 million, ten-year gig with FOX will make him the highest-paid color analyst in the history of sports once he joins the booth for the 2024 season.
But Tom Brady's investments across Sin City have ramped up in recent times, and away from the startup world & private sector. Brady pulled a similar move in March 2023, acquiring a minority stake in the Las Vegas Aces, the city's WNBA team which is controlled in large part by Davis as well.
If not for the utter disaster that became Tom Brady's negotiations with the Miami Dolphins throughout 2021 & 2022, he could have very well become an NFL owner before working with Davis. It was part of Miami's grand scheme to get Brady to purchase a minority stake in the team, luring Sean Payton to run the sideline, and try to convince him to play quarterback for the upcoming season. But when Brian Flores sued the team in February 2022 for tampering - among other allegations - the plan blew up in Dolphins' owner Stephen Ross' face.
Luckily, as ironic as would be for Davis, Josh McDaniels, and other Raiders brass to lure Brady back down to the field, they won't really have the temptation to do so. They've moved on from franchise QB Derek Carr and have turned to Jimmy Garoppolo, eager to prove he's still a full-time NFL starter.
For Brady, it's a great move to get him more visible in the sport after his playing days. While he won't lace up the cleats again, he's not going anywhere...
...or will he?!