Real Reason Why Tom Brady Fired Raiders GM Tom Telesco Revealed

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Tom Brady.

Prior to the end of the season, it wasn’t clear what level of involvement Tom Brady would have in running the Las Vegas Raiders‘ football operations. He’s only been a part owner for a few months and has many more professional obligations outside of the Raiders.

However, based on the team’s moves this offseason, it’s clear that Brady is going to be heavily involved from the get-go. It wasn’t a big surprise when Las Vegas fired head coach Antonio Pierce. He went 4-13 this season and had many issues with game management.

What came as a bigger surprise was the team’s decision to fire general manager Tom Telesco, who put together a very good draft class in his first year with the franchise. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Telesco firing has to do with how Brady envisions building the Raiders.

“This has nothing to do with the general managing of Tom Telesco,” Russini said on the Jan. 10 episode of the “Scoop City” podcast. “This has everything to do with what Tom Brady wants to bring to Las Vegas, which is very much the Tom Brady way. Which has extensions to New England. So, in his mind—from what I can gather—is Brady wants a head coach and a GM in tandem that know each other, that are familiar.”

Firing Telesco Makes Hc Opening More Appealing

The Raiders could have a hard time attracting head coaching talent. The franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since 2002 and owner Mark Davis just fired two head coaches in two years. Those are a lot of red flags for potential candidates.

The decision to fire Telesco actually could make the Raiders’ job more appealing. As Russini noted, Brady wants the next head coach and general manager to be aligned. This isn’t an uncommon strategy but this gives the Raiders an advantage that only one other team with an opening has.

Only the New York Jets also have a head coach and general manager opening. Any coaching candidate that the Raiders want can now have a say in who their next general manager will be. Even though Las Vegas doesn’t have a quarterback and some major holes on the roster, the team can now offer a coach the chance to build the team exactly how they want it.

Can Raiders Attract Top GM?

While the Raiders have a chance to attract a top head coach now, finding a general manager could be more complicated. The team has fired two general managers in two years and only gave Telesco one full year. The fact that they fired him after a really good draft class could scare away some top general manager candidates.

That’s why the coaching aspect is going to be important. A good head coach could also likely help attract a top general manager. The fact that Brady also appears to be calling the shots now could be appealing. He’s had nothing to do with the Raiders’ mismanagement over the last two decades. If he has a good plan in place, he should be able to convince a strong general manager candidate to come to Las Vegas.