Tom Brady and Jim Harbaugh pass the ball around during warm ups at a Michigan game in 2016. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Chargers bracing to tackle Commanders' Jayden Daniels and talk to Raiders' Tom Brady

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Richie Whitt | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 3:59 PM ET

Here comes Jayden Daniels. On Sunday will another quarterback opponent be ... Tom Brady?

When the Los Angeles Chargers host the Commanders at SoFi Stadium, Washington's star quarterback will apparently play after missing two games with a knee injury. While Daniels will be on the field, Brady - in his awkward dual-role as Fox lead TV analyst and Los Angeles Raiders co-owner - will be in the booth.

Because of their 3-1 start, star quality in quarterback Justin Herbert and attractive opponent in Daniels, the Chargers are drawing Fox's No. 1 announcing crew this weekend. That means Brady, alongside play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt.

It's an honor to get the TV "A team" in the late, 1:25 p.m. window. But because of Brady's direct connection to an AFC West rival, it also makes for an uncomfortable week of preparation for Jim Harbaugh's team.

During Brady's rookie season at Fox last year, he was prohibited for taking part in the network's "pre-production" interviews with players and coaches from the teams of the game he was calling that week. But this season those guidelines have been relaxed. The Raiders co-owner is still not allowed to visit another team's facility, but he can be involved in virtual pre-game interviews.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Some around the NFL think this is much ado about nothing. Others, however, worry that Brady will glean insight from in-depth talks with players and use that information as strategy if/when the Raiders play that same team. The Chargers host the Raiders in Week 13.

“I love football," Brady said in a social media post last week responding to his growing critics. "At its core, it is a game of principles. And with all the success it has given me, I feel I have a moral and ethical duty to the sport; which is why the point where my roles in it intersect is not actually a point of conflict, despite what the paranoid and distrustful might believe.”

During Week 1, for example, Brady covered Giants-Commanders and noted during the broadcast that Daniels told him during the week that he prefers to scramble to his right when he leaves the pocket. Great information for the viewers. Also great intel for the Raiders, who played the Commanders two weeks later?

Brady's potential conflict of interest got prime-time fuel in Week 2 against the Chargers on Monday Night Football, when ESPN's cameras showed him in the Raiders' coaching booth wearing a headset.

Harbaugh will do anything and everything to protect a competitive advantage for the Chargers. And, to be fair, any edge Brady is getting hasn't shown up in the Raiders' 1-3 record.

Still, it has to be a little awkward this week when Herbert is being interviewed by Brady, knowing his words might wind up in the Raiders' game plan.