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Let’s make one thing clear before we proceed: Tom Brady matters to the Las Vegas Raiders.

His presence in the building is real, his involvement in football decisions is documented and his fingerprints are on everything this organization has done since becoming a minority owner in October 2024. Jon Spytek put it clearly: Brady is involved in everything football-wise and that includes the most important pick in franchise history coming up later this month.

But here’s the question no one in Raider Nation is asking out loud: When the dust settles on the Mendoza era, the Kubiak era and whatever comes after, who really owns this team?

Because that answer is being quietly written right now, and it has nothing to do with Tom Brady.

Brady’s role is real – but it has limits

I will give credit where appropriate. Brady is more than a celebrity endorsement for the Raiders. Kubiak said he has been calling Brady frequently since getting the job, relying on him as a resource with a different offensive background. Spytek has openly credited Brady in the quarterback evaluation process, which is pretty important when you’re about to spend the No. 1 overall pick on a franchise signal-caller. When Adam Schefter appeared on the Pat McAfee show and was asked how Brady has been involved in all these offseason moves, the answer was clear – Brady didn’t find out about the Kirk Cousins ​​signing from a tweet. He was involved in this.

But Brady himself was clear about where his role actually ends. He is a limited partner. Mark Davis is the boss. There is no job description that comes with a minority stake, and Brady has openly acknowledged this. He wants to win. He wants to bring a winning culture to Las Vegas. He wants to be a part of something that lasts. They are real things and I believe he means them all.

What he is not, and cannot be in any practical sense, is the long-term answer to the Raiders’ ownership question. That answer is already in danger, and his name is Egon Durban.

The Durban angle is the story no one can quite connect with

Last week at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix, owners voted to approve the Raiders succession plan, formalizing what has been quietly building for more than a year. The NFL approved the sale of 3.5% of the team to Egon Durban at a valuation of $11.1 billion, with another 3.5% expected to follow – and the deal gives Durban the right of first refusal on Davis’ controlling stake if Davis decides to sell.

Mark Davis, who has no children, has said he has no intention of selling his majority stake. I believe what he says. But Davis is 70, and his mother, Carol, died last October. The NFL needs succession plans. And what was just approved doesn’t leave much to the imagination about how it will ultimately work.

Durban structured the deal with a right of first refusal that rules out every other bidder. If Davis or his successors ever sell, Durban gets the first call. A man. A phone call. An outcome is already written into the contract.

That is not a show. This is the biggest organizational story surrounding this franchise that isn’t Fernando Mendoza.

So where does Brady fit into all this?

Brady owns 5% of the team. Durban already held a 7.5% stake before this latest deal and that figure is now moving towards a position that could ultimately mean controlling ownership. The two men were photographed together during the College Football Playoff National Championship in January. After news of the succession plan broke, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer summed it up in four words: “Egon Durban is Brady’s guy.”

That framing is worth sitting with. If Durban ultimately owns this team, and Brady is his guy, then Brady’s long-term impact with the Raiders isn’t just as a football consultant, and it may be as the minority voice most associated with the next principal owner.

It’s a different kind of power than what’s discussed in offseason press conferences. It is quieter, slower moving and obviously more consequential.

What this means for the Raiders’ rebuild

In the short term, it doesn’t change anything that happens in Pittsburgh on April 23, or what Clint Kubiak is building from this week in Henderson. Football decisions are being made by Spytek, informed by Brady and approved by Davis. The question of succession is background noise right now.

But Raider Nation needs to understand what’s really being built here, because it goes beyond the roster. Mark Davis created something real by moving this franchise to Las Vegas – an $11.1 billion franchise valuation does not happen without vision and execution at the ownership level. The question of who inherits it and what they do with it is one of the most important long-term stories in the NFL right now.

Brady gets the spotlight. Durban has a choice.

In Las Vegas, that difference matters.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1…More about Scott Gulbransen

After operating as a 30-team league for decades, the NBA is betting on adding two franchises by the 2028-2029 season, with Las Vegas and Seattle the clear leaders.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, a vote will be held next week on the possibility of expanding the league to 32 teams.

“The pace for stakeholders to approve the survey is based on what industry executives will bid in the range of $7 to $10 billion for each team,” Charania said.

“If the bids reach the required threshold the 32 teams will have a potential final vote at the end of the year to finalize the transaction. In both voting rounds, 23 of the 30 governors would have to vote in favor.”

There have been long-running discussions about starting a team in Las Vegas, with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James even rumored to be one of the owners, as it has rapidly emerged as one of the biggest sports cities in the country.

A return to Seattle, meanwhile, would restore the NBA to one of its hottest markets. The Seattle SuperSonics played in the league from 1967 to 2008 and won the title in 1979, before the franchise became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Of course, there are logistical issues to discuss, including accommodating conferences and schedules. Some, including Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, have argued that the NBA needs to reduce its games, and adding two more teams could do the opposite.

As the league continues to grow in popularity and globalization, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has often stressed the need to innovate and adopt reforms, emphasizing that expansion has always been a consideration.

The next few days will be important for the future of the NBA.