The Las Vegas Raiders had the most meaningful loss in a season full of losses on Sunday. They fell to the Giants, 34-10, in a game that went a long way toward determining the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Given the fact that the Raiders are truly atrocious, especially at the quarterback position, the first pick will, in all likelihood, be a quarterback. So far, nothing is surprising or unique about this: Bad team loses. They end up with the top pick. They take a quarterback.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
But this is different. Because the Raiders aren’t just a bad franchise that’s likely to take a quarterback; they’re a bad franchise with the consensus greatest quarterback of all time as a minority owner.
This matters bigly because it means someone who actually knows what they’re doing will be observing the Raiders’ draft selection process. The same people who thought that trotting out Geno Smith was a great idea will not be the only ones involved in drafting his eventual replacement.
Moreover, it would be a mistake to think that Brady’s influence on that pick will end after the draft.
In recent interviews, the seven-time Super Bowl champ has made prophetic statements, such as, “teams fail quarterbacks long before quarterbacks fail teams.” He has also told how Bill Belichick took the time to teach him to be a quarterback and to read defenses, something Brady claims does not happen in most organizations in the league.
In other words, Brady takes the quarterback development process very seriously.
Don’t expect him to settle for merely “scouting” QBs for the Raiders. Instead, he will, in all likelihood, not only heavily influence the pick but also take whomever the Raiders draft aside and do for him what Belichick did for a young Tom Brady back in 2000.
Mentor him, teach him.
No, he won’t be an everyday presence during the season. Brady’s day job at Fox will keep him from doing that. But imagine being a top pick and being able to text questions to the greatest quarterback of all time before or after a game.
Anyone who thinks Brady will sit back and watch the Raiders draft whichever quarterback they want without any input from him doesn’t understand who Brady is.
He wants to win at everything, at all times, and by as much as possible.
After all, remember this video of him with a headset on in the coach’s booth?
Yeah, he cares enough to get involved. He already is involved. Whether the Raiders take Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, or Dante Moore remains to be seen. What is beyond question is that whoever that lucky guy is, he will be in the greatest position to succeed of any QB in NFL history, even better than Brady himself in New England.
He will be the top pick, and he will have the GOAT for anything he needs whenever he needs it.
You can’t beat that.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.