Was Tom Brady involved in Raiders' decision to pass on Shedeur Sanders during draft?

A recent report indicated that Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady had at least some say regarding the quarterbacks acquired by first-year Raiders general manager John Spytek and new head coach Pete Carroll this offseason. 

Thus, it's understandable that Brady was asked during an appearance on the latest edition of the "Impaulsive" podcast about his thoughts on why Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Cleveland Browns traded up to take him at pick No. 144.

"It’s a good question," Brady said, as shared by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process or to see that."

Brady was then told that well-known sports media personality Skip Bayless has said "otherwise" about the seven-time Super Bowl champion's involvement in the Raiders' predraft process. 

"That’s the problem with media is everyone can just say whatever the [expletive] they want," Brady responded. 

Brady's comments are odd considering Dan Pompei of The Athletic mentioned in an article published on Tuesday that Brady "met with Spytek and coaches to discuss" veteran quarterbacks following the 2024 season. Pompei added that Brady "spent another day with Spytek discussing college quarterback prospects." 

Numerous reporters and analysts hinted before the draft that Sanders' relationship with Brady could result in the Raiders making the polarizing prospect the sixth overall pick of the draft. Las Vegas instead took Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 6, and the Raiders later passed on Sanders multiple times before they ultimately grabbed developmental prospect Cam Miller out of North Dakota State at choice No. 215. 

Spytek told Pompei that Brady "was on board with the selection of" Miller in the sixth round.

During the interview, Brady revealed that he reached out to Sanders amid what became one of the most shocking draft slides in NFL history.

"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. Day two matters more than the draft,'" Brady explained. "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."

Sanders is expected to compete with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, veteran Joe Flacco and 2022 first-round selection Kenny Pickett for Cleveland's starting quarterback job this summer. Per Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated, Brady offered Sanders advice heading into that four-person battle. 

"He's got to show up every day," Brady said about Sanders during the podcast. "As quarterback, you have to be a leader. And being a leader is: do I care about my teammates? And do I care about what we're trying to accomplish? Rules one and two. And I would say that to every quarterback I come across."