After enduring a 28–13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders' ninth consecutive defeat, the Raiders are in position to receive the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Raiders are tied with the New York Giants for the worst record in the NFL and are currently slated to pick second in next year's draft.
The primary question for the Raiders' next draft will be if they are going to take a quarterback. At the NFL League Meetings on Wednesday, Raiders owner Mark Davis said that general manager Tom Telesco will not be forced to draft a quarterback with their first-round pick, but that the position will need to be addressed.
What Davis did specify is that Tom Brady will have a say in the Raiders' draft plans. "You'd have to talk to Tom Telesco," Davis said about what the Raiders will do with their first-round pick, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic. "And, of course, Tom Brady at some point will have something to say in that."
"You'd have to talk to Tom Telesco," Davis said when I asked if he has a preference in the first round of the draft. "And, of course, Tom Brady at some point will have something to say in that." https://t.co/oqnKUgBedM
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) December 11, 2024
Brady was unanimously approved as a minority owner for the Raiders in October and holds a five percent stake in the franchise. Though Brady is currently working as a broadcaster for FOX and holds a small percentage of the Raiders, Davis has indicated that Brady will be involved in key decisions the franchise will make.
When Brady originally was approved as Raiders minority owner in October, Davis suggested that Brady could play a part in picking the team's future quarterback.
"Although Tom can’t play, I think he can help us select a quarterback in the future and potentially train him as well," Davis said in October. "So it’s a huge benefit for the organization.”
Mark Davis: "It’s just exciting. What I was going to say is we traded Davante Adams for Tom Brady…. Although Tom can’t play, I think he can help us select a quarterback in the future and potentially train him as well. So it’s a huge benefit for the organization.”
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) October 15, 2024
The Raiders have been in search of a franchise quarterback since parting ways with Derek Carr after the 2022 season. Though Carr led the Raiders to a couple of playoff appearances over his nine seasons with the team, the Raiders have not had a quarterback lead them to a Super Bowl since former NFL MVP Rich Gannon did so in the 2002 season.
Las Vegas was a top contender to draft a quarterback last spring in what turned out to be a loaded 2024 class but missed out when six quarterbacks were taken in the top 12 picks. Instead, the Raiders drafted tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13 overall, and Bowers already appears to be a generational player at his position.
With the Raiders on track to finish with a top-five pick, if not a top-three pick, they should have a much better chance at securing a first-round quarterback if they so choose. In 2025, they will have Brady on board to help pick the right passer from a class that includes Cam Ward, Jalen Milroe, Shedeur Sanders, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck, and Drew Allar, among others. Even if Brady and Telesco err away from taking a quarterback, Davis appears to trust in Brady's ability to evaluate talent, and find a player that could help the Raiders turn their fortunes around.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mark Davis Reveals Tom Brady Will Be Involved in Raiders' Draft Strategy.
