Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tom Brady speaks out on Raiders decision not to draft Shedeur Sanders

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Derek Hegna | Last updated May 7, 2025 3:50 PM ET

When Tom Brady was officially announced as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, principal owner Mark Davis made it clear that the future Hall of Famer would have at least some input in team decisions.

Brady has proven that before, using his connections to bring in general manager John Spytek and serving as the major pitchman to head coach Pete Carroll. Both of those moves were lauded by analysts and fans, but none have been more scrutinized over the last couple of weeks than the Raiders passing on quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Despite multiple opportunities to end the Colorado product’s slide, Brady and the Raiders did not pull the trigger, allowing him to fall to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.

With rumors swirling around Brady’s influence on the decision, he decided to set the record straight.

In his own words, Brady did not have anything to do with Sanders’ slide.

On the Impaulsive podcast with Logan Paul, Brady made it clear that he did not tell the Raiders to draft or not to draft Sanders.

“I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process or to see that,” Brady said.

This comes on the back of analysts believing Brady was directly responsible for the Raiders passing on Sanders. Skip Bayless was particularly vocal about the theory, accusing Brady of the slide on his X account.

It is now pretty clear Tom Brady – who mentored Shedeur – told the Raiders NOT to take Shedeur. Duly noted.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 26, 2025

When Bayless’s comments were brought up, Brady did not hesitate to put the outspoken analyst on the spot.

“I know, well, everyone’s got every, you know,” Brady said. “That’s the problem with media is everyone can just say whatever the f*** they want.”

As Sanders continued to slide into Day Three, Brady admitted that he was one of the first to text the young quarterback, providing encouragement and saying that where he was ultimately drafted did not matter as much as what he does after.

“I actually texted Shedeur because I know him very well, and I said, ‘Dude, like, whatever happens, wherever you go, like, that’s your first day,” Brady continued. “Day two matters more than the draft. I was [pick number] 199. Yeah. So, who could speak on it better than me, like, what that really means? Use it as motivation. You’re gonna get your chances. Go take advantage of it.”

Brady had served as a mentor figure to Sanders since high school, and it appears that the two’s careers will start much closer than anticipated.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: