Mike Mayock: Tom Brady has to choose between broadcaster and owner

Tom Brady is trying to have his cake and eat it, too.

One of, if not the greatest, quarterbacks of all time has attempted to make the not-so-seamless transition to the broadcasting booth. To his credit, Brady is trying to understand what the audience wants from him, molding himself to be what Fox is paying nearly $400 million over a decade for.

But, he also has other interests that will only impede his ability as a broadcaster.

Fox Sports isn’t getting every aspect of Brady that it possibly can, and that’s because he’s dipped his toe into the NFL owners’ pond. From the get-go, Brady has had one hand tied behind his back. He can’t attend production meetings, have access to players or coaching personnel before calling games, or publicly criticize officials or other NFL teams.

These constraints have always existed, but they became more apparent following the recent approval of his ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.

But between helping Mark Davis find his quarterback of the future and helping Kevin Burkhardt navigate Fox’s Game of the Week, some feel Tom Brady has to choose. One of those people has ties to the Raiders organization and the football media — Mike Mayock.

On Wednesday’s The Zach Gelb Show, the former Raiders general manager was asked about Brady potentially aiding Las Vegas in acquiring Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as their quarterback of the future, and Mayock candidly shared his perspective.

“I think that if he does have that kind of influence, then he probably needs to give the other job up,” Mayock said. “You know, there’s already some fine lines there… And again, he’s a minority owner. And typically minority owners don’t have a voice in the building. This is a different guy now, and so, I think some of the mandates the NFL put on him, as far as his broadcasting career, were more predicated on him being a silent, minority partner.

“So, the more involved he gets in daily operations, the less likely that the networks and the other teams are going to want him involved in television.”

Former Raiders GM Mike Mayock says if Tom Brady is going to have an active role as a minority owner with the daily operations of the Raiders, then he has to give up his job with FOX. @InfSportsNet @MikeMayock pic.twitter.com/Z6EfAjvLAZ

— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) October 30, 2024

Balancing both roles might seem possible on paper for Tom Brady, but as Mayock points out, the reality is far more complex.

“I think using him as a resource is smart,” continued Mayock. “I think having him pick your guys is a different conversation. You’re paying a general manager or a head coach to make those decisions. So, there’s some real danger in just bringing in a guy and just say, ‘Hey, you’re the guy. You’re gonna make all the,’ uh uh. It’s one thing to bring him in, but at a certain point, I’ll I’m saying is I think he’s gotta make a decision about what he’s going to be.

“Is he going to be a broadcaster, or is he going to be an NFL executive? Because the more he has to say, the more they’re going to demand he make a decision.”

[Zach Gelb]