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Tom Brady with Mark Davis and Alex Guerrero.
Tom Brady’s first year of NFL ownership was not great. He played a role in the Las Vegas Raiders‘ hiring of head coach Pete Carroll and gave his stamp of approval on trading for Geno Smith. He was also rumored to be heavily involved in the decision to hire Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator.
All of those moves turned out to be a disaster. Brady doesn’t live in Las Vegas, and he’s not helping with day-to-day football operations. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have eyes and ears reporting back to him.
Before he left the New England Patriots, there was a lot of talk about Brady’s wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero. He is very close to Brady, and the Raiders hired him after the former quarterback became an owner. Though he is listed as a wellness coordinator for the team, it appears he’s more involved, according to The Athletic’s Mike Silver.
“Like many players and coaches, Crosby was frustrated by the presence of Alex Guerrero, a staunch Brady ally whose official title is wellness coordinator,” Silver wrote. “Guerrero, who regularly attends practices and meetings, purports to possess significant organizational power, informing players of impending transactions and even indicating to staff members who don’t follow his instructions that their jobs may be at risk.
“Guerrero is perceived to have a direct pipeline to Brady, who lives in Florida and serves as Fox’s lead NFL analyst, limiting his in-person presence. Suffice it to say that there are trust issues permeating the Raiders’ training facility in Henderson, Nev.”
Is This a Serious Problem for the Raiders?
Guerrero was a source of drama when Brady was with the Patriots, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that he’s making news with the Raiders. If what Silver is reporting is 100% accurate, this could be a problem for Las Vegas.
Maxx Crosby is the team’s best player, so if Guerrero is part of the reason why he wants to get traded, that’s not OK. Now, it’s hard to know for sure what Guerrero’s day-to-day looks like. He could simply be relaying messages that Brady is telling him to.
At the end of the day, Mark Davis is the majority owner of the team, so he has a say over who can and can’t be in the building. If Guerrero becomes a problem, Davis needs to step in.
Raiders Hoping to Build Stable Environment
Anytime a team has gone through as much dysfunction as the Raiders have, there are rumors about why the team is struggling. Though Guerrero might have some level of influence, he’s not the reason the Raiders were bad last year.
The team hired the wrong coaching staff and invested in the wrong quarterback. Winning teams don’t deal with these kinds of leaks. According to Silver, the Raiders are just hoping that landing Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will add some stability.
“The hope is that the Raiders, beginning with the Mendoza pick, can create a stable environment and forge a brighter organizational future,” Silver wrote.