Could Tom Brady already be leveraging his influence in Las Vegas?
Speculation is already surrounding the new minority owner of the Raiders, who received a king’s welcome Wednesday, and just how much control he will have over the team going forward.
“I’ll say this, and I won’t get specific, but people have told me that Brady’s first move is going to be to ask Bill Belichick to be coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Barstool Sports’ Kirk Minihane said on his self-named show. “Two sources have told me that. Two high-up in the Patriots organization have told me that.”
Minihane has been a longtime staple in the Boston sports scene, working as a columnist for the “Lowell Sun” newspaper and having a radio show on WEEI before joining Barstool.
Brady having that kind of power immediately in Las Vegas would be surprising as the Raiders just installed former Giants Super Bowl-winning linebacker Antonio Pierce as their full-time head coach last offseason.
However, things are off to a troubling start for Pierce as the Raiders are 2-4 this season.
Pierce previously told reporters that some of his players were making “business decisions” and that the team would begin making business decisions as well, implying some players could be jettisoned.
This week, Davante Adams was the first of those business decisions when he was traded to the Jets.
Pierece has also flip-flopped on his preseason quarterback decision, benching veteran Gardner Minshew for second-year signal-caller Aidan O’Connell before a 32-13 loss to the Steelers last week.
Pierce was also slammed for the “dumbest thing you will see all season” when he elected not to go for a fourth-and-1 from his opponent’s 43-yard-line down while trailing the Chargers by six points in Week 1.
If Pierce is truly coaching his final games for the team, the Raiders’ search could very well include Belichick, although there will be many other candidates for the job.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will have his choice of nearly any job he wants this offseason and ex-Titans coach Mike Vrabel should also in the mix for jobs.
Brady and Belichick won six Super Bowls together as part of a dynasty in New England before a seemingly contentious separation resulted in the future Hall of Fame quarterback leaving for Tampa Bay.
