Even as a minority owner, Tom Brady still carries major weight in the Raiders‘ decision-making. He may not hold official control, but his influence is clear. Now, reports claim Brady pushed back against the idea of bringing in Browns QB Shedeur Sanders.

“Cleveland’s fifth-round pick, Shedeur Sanders, is set to make his first NFL start Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, one of the teams that repeatedly passed on him in the 2025 draft,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote. “Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, who has texted words of encouragement to Sanders in the past, was part of that decision.”

Reports have been floating around for a while now. It sounds like Brady’s behind-the-scenes influence played a big role in the Raiders’ passing on Sanders multiple times, including as recently as last month. Brady’s already been part of key conversations about the QB room and roster moves, including the trade for Geno Smith.

Earlier, NBA star Damian Lillard took it to social media following the Raiders’ embarrassing 40-6 loss to the Colts in week 5, showcasing his frustration.

“Time to go ahead and trade for Shedeur, man. SMFH,” Lillard posted.

To this, six-time Pro Bowl and former wideout Terrell Owens responded.

“Brady discourage that behind the scenes,” Owens commented.

It seems that there were multiple instances in the past where Las Vegas could’ve acquired Sanders, but they passed every time because Brady supposedly didn’t want to.

Some reports say the 7-time Super Bowl winner wasn’t exactly sold on Shedeur Sanders. This is because, apparently, the Raiders’ playing style didn’t mesh with him, and Brady wasn’t a fan of Sanders’ touchdown celebrations.

“When a quarterback throws a touchdown pass, I actually watch to see who he goes and celebrates with,” Brady said in an interview earlier this year on Pro Football Focus. “Because what did I do? I looked for my offensive linemen every time.”

But while fans have repeatedly pointed fingers at the 48-year-old, he has another take on things.

How did Tom Brady react to the Raiders passing on Shedeur Sanders?

According to Tom Brady, he and Sanders share a mentor-mentee bond since Sanders’ early college years. Brady has been in his corner from the start, giving advice, checking in, and helping him grow as a quarterback through calls and texts.

That support didn’t stop even after the Raiders passed on him, much like many other NFL teams, in this year’s draft in April.

“I wasn’t a part of any evaluation process,” Brady said on the Impaulsive podcast. “I actually texted Shedeur because I know him very well, and I said, ‘Wherever you go, that’s your first day. Day 2 matters more than the draft. I was [pick] 199. Use it as motivation. You’re gonna get your chances. Go take advantage of it.'”

Apart from this, there have been reports that Brady helped Sanders land a NIL deal with his TB12 brand back in 2022, showing their connection goes way beyond just quarterback advice.

After all the reports and fan speculations, everything has come full circle. The same player Brady backed is about to make his first NFL debut as the starter on Sunday against Brady’s Raiders. With both teams sitting at 2-8 and playoff hopes all but gone, it’ll be fascinating to see how Sanders performs in this relatively pressure-free matchup.