Tom Brady set to become a minority owner of Las Vegas Raiders, pending NFL approval; Mark Davis 'excited'

The future Hall of Famer is back in the game, sort of

Tom Brady may finally be retired from the NFL, this time "for good." But that doesn't mean he's done with the league. Less than two weeks after ESPN reported the longtime quarterback had entered "deep discussions" to become a limited partner of the Raiders, Brady and team owner Mark Davis have agreed to a deal that'll make the former Patriots and Buccaneers star a minority owner, pending NFL 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 said, via ESPN. "We're excited for Tom to join the Raiders."

In March, not long after his second retirement in as many years, Brady acquired an ownership stake in the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, who are primarily controlled by Davis. Now, the latter has agreed to sell a minority share of the Raiders to the future Hall of Famer and submitted the agreement to the NFL for approval. While a vote on the deal won't occur at this week's spring meeting, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, it marks a notable step toward Brady becoming an executive.

This isn't the first time Brady has made efforts to own an NFL team. After initially retiring from the Buccaneers after the 2021 season, Brady reportedly attempted to become a minority owner of the Dolphins, for whom he apparently also wanted to play. Miami was later penalized by the NFL for engaging in improper communications with Brady while he was still under contract with the Bucs.

The Raiders have several notable connections to the Patriots, who of course employed Brady for the first 20 seasons of the QB's career. Head coach Josh McDaniels is one of the most well-known products of the Bill Belichick coaching tree, general manager Dave Ziegler is a product of New England's personnel department, and even new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo began his career with the Pats, entering as a second-round draft pick -- and potential Brady successor -- back in 2014.

Before announcing his retirement early this offseason, the 45-year-old Brady had been speculated as a potential target of the Raiders, who had just moved on from Derek Carr and boasted the New England connections.