A $375 million broadcasting job might not be enough to hold Tom Brady’s attention. Lars Anderson, author of “Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness,” told The Athletic he expects Brady’s future to run through the Las Vegas Raiders, possibly by helping groom Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Asked whether broadcasting and team ownership are enough for Brady, Anderson answered plainly.
Brady retired three years ago and is the lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports on a 10-year, $375 million deal. He also holds a minority stake in the Raiders. Mentoring Mendoza would suit a player Anderson came to see as leading through connection “rather than an orderer, or a classic masculine NFL type of leader.” Anderson wrote the book without help from Brady or his family, drawing instead on ex-teammates, old roommates and even cafeteria staff.
One story that stuck with Anderson came from Jed Weaver. A career backup at tight end who joined the New England Patriots late in 2004, Weaver watched Brady go out of his way to greet his mother and father after a game. There was a downside to his devotion.
Several players told Anderson that Brady would “just disappear sometimes,” and the book has him squeezing in an early workout the morning after winning a Super Bowl. Taken 199th in 2000, Brady won seven Super Bowls. In their first meeting after the draft, he offered Patriots owner Robert Kraft a prediction of his own.
If Anderson is right, the Raiders’ 2026 No. 1 pick could learn from the man who once sold himself to Kraft as the best decision in Patriots history.
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