Tom Brady's ex-teammate could have influence over Raiders' pursuit of new head coach: Report

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the news this week for all the wrong reasons. The franchise made the puzzling decision of throwing Antonio Pierce in front of the cameras in a Raiders Starter jacket after Black Monday, where he outlined that he had not been informed about his future.

A day later, the franchise fired Pierce, making the Raiders job the fifth head coach vacancy in the league alongside the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the aftermath of Pierce's firing, questions were understandably raised over how much influence Tom Brady would have in the grand scheme of things, given he purchased 5% of the team last year. On Wednesday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Brady had already reached out to Bill Belichick to test the waters over the job in Sin City.

Amidst all the fanfare over Brady's involvement with the Raiders, one man who has flown under the radar is Richard Seymour, who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. On the Maggie & Perloff Show this week, CBS insider Amy Trask explained how Seymour could also factor into the Raiders' decisions going forward:

“Do I believe he [Tom Brady] will have input? Yes I do. Do I believe his input will be valued? Yes I do. But there’s another name we’re not hearing being bandied about. That is Richard Seymour. The reason I mention that is just as Tom has purchased an equity interest in the team, so too has Richard."

"I know him to be wise and intelligent and thoughtful. I think they should take input from Richard as well as from Tom."

Seymour reportedly purchased a 0.5% stake in the Raiders. His purchase was approved at the same time as Brady's 5% stake, making them both minority owners of the franchise, with Mark Davis still the principal owner.

Seymour, who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, also has a storied history with Brady. During their time with the New England Patriots, Seymour and Brady won three Super Bowls together. The Patriots traded Seymour to the Raiders in 2009, where he spent four seasons. While with the Oakland Raiders, Seymour earned one All-Pro selection and was voted to two Pro Bowls.

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Where Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching search stands

Three names have been linked with the Raiders so far: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

Coen is expected to be interviewed again, thanks to his reputation as an offensive genius in the league. Meanwhile, Vrabel has already interviewed with the Chicago Bears, New York Jets and New England Patriots. According to ESPN, Carroll has shown interest in the Bears job.

Additionally, the Raiders will interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, arguably the most sought-after name in the 2025 coaching carousel.

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