The sudden dismissal of Pete Carroll‘s offensive coordinator Chip Kelly only 11 games into the 2025 season has thrust minority owner Tom Brady into the spotlight.
According to recent reports, he was a major proponent of bringing Kelly on board, a decision now under intense scrutiny with the Raiders sputtering at 29.
Brady’s influence inside the organization appears to have extended beyond mere ownership.
During a September “Monday Night Football” game, he was spotted in the Raiders coaching booth, headset on, tablet in hand, in a posture indistinguishable from the rest of the onfield staff.
Media coverage that night suggested he and Kelly were meeting multiple times per week to dissect game film and shape strategy.
“We have conversations. I talk to Tom, Chip talks to Tom regularly,” Carroll later said. “We have a tremendous asset. We all get along well, we just talk about life and football and whatever.”
From championship pedigree to NFL letdown
Kelly wasn’t hired on a whim. The Raiders formally announced his return to the NFL as offensive coordinator on February 4, 2025.
He arrived fresh off leading Ohio State Buckeyes to a national championship, a campaign where his offense averaged 35.7 points per game.
His contract with the Raiders reportedly averages $6 million per year, making him the highestpaid coordinator in the league.
The financial firepower was partly made possible by new capital injected by limited owners, including Brady.
Proponents believed that pairing Kelly‘s offensive acumen with Carroll‘s leadership and a refreshed roster could finally lift the franchise out of mediocrity.
However, the transition from college dominance to NFL effectiveness crashed hard. The Raiders‘ offense sputtered all season, failing to generate yards, produce consistent scoring, or protect the quarterback.
After a 24-10 home loss to the Cleveland Browns dropped Las Vegas to 2-9, the organization pulled the plug on Kelly.
In the wake of the firing, interim offensive coordinator Greg Olson, a seasoned NFL coach with prior Raiders history, took over in hopes of regaining some semblance of continuity.
The fallout from this failed experiment has triggered sharp questions about who is really running the Raiders.
Brady isn’t just a passive investor: he appears to have had substantial influence over key decisions, from coaching hires to gameplanning input.
Many now argue the team’s lack of identity, and its dismal performance, are at least partly the result of leaning too heavily on star power rather than proven organizational structure.
For Brady, once a megastar quarterback, now an investor and parttime media voice, the Kelly debacle exposes the risks of mixing legacy, money, and managerial sway without established accountability.
The question isn’t just whether Chip Kelly was a bad hire, but whether the concept of “superstarowner influence” is as flawed as the offense Brady helped assemble.
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