When the Las Vegas Raiders passed on quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft – not just once, but repeatedly – it raised eyebrows, especially given the team’s connection to NFL legend and minority owner Tom Brady.
Given Brady’s personal mentorship of Sanders and the expectation that he would have a meaningful role in the Raiders’ front office decisions, many were surprised to see Sanders’ name never called by Las Vegas.
Among the loudest voices questioning that choice was longtime sports media personality Skip Bayless, who made his anger known loud and clear.
“It is now pretty clear Tom Brady, who mentored Shedeur, told the Raiders NOT to take Shedeur. Duly noted,” Bayless posted on X.
“How could Tom Brady’s team pass on Shedeur Sanders again and again and again??? Brady reportedly coached Shedeur. Brady reportedly was involved in Raiders draft decision-making,” Bayless said in another post.
Brady, however, pushed back on those claims during an appearance on the Impaulsive podcast. Without naming Bayless directly, Brady made it clear he believed the criticism was misinformed and rooted in media sensationalism.
“I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process,” Brady said of Sanders. “The problem with media is everyone can just say whatever the [expletive] they want. And it’s kind of unfortunate because there actually used to be a lot of integrity in media and there’s way less now because everyone needs crazy voices to get heard.”
Needless to say, Bayless didn’t appreciate Brady’s remarks and responded with a pointed rebuttal of his own.
“Tom Brady has called me out,” Bayless said. “I guess he’s called me a liar. So I’m about to call BS on Tom Brady because, Tom, you know and I know, everything I said about you and Shedeur Sanders is obviously exactly right.
“It wasn’t like Brady actually called me out because he didn’t call me out by name. He just said that was wrong. And by translation, of course, I’m wrong. But Tom did it with a big broad brush. He condemned the media. Took the cowardly way out.
“Just take me on. I don’t care. I can take it, because I’m right…I’ve had a lot of integrity. I’d like to say that I work really hard at telling the truth and backing it up.”
While Brady insists he was not directly involved in the team’s scouting process, public comments from Raiders leadership suggest he may have had at least some input.
Team owner Mark Davis had previously indicated Brady would have a meaningful voice in organizational matters. New head coach Pete Carroll echoed that sentiment, saying the team would “lean on [Brady] as much as we possibly can.”
General manager John Spytek also acknowledged Brady’s influence, stating, “We’d have to be fools not to involve” the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
Post-draft comments from Spytek further complicated Brady’s denial. Speaking to The Athletic, Spytek shared Brady’s feedback on sixth-round pick Cam Miller, another quarterback.
“Brady liked the way (Miller) threw it, his technique, throwing from the ground up and his motion. And he thought he had the potential to improve,” Spytek said.
Whether or not Brady personally influenced the Raiders’ decision to pass on Shedeur Sanders remains uncertain.
But the controversy has sparked a heated exchange between two high-profile figures, with media credibility and front office transparency at the center of the debate.
For now, it seems Brady has said what he intends to say, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll engage further in the public back-and-forth with Bayless.
What are your thoughts on the Brady-Bayless feud? … Who’s side are you on???
