Tom Brady tongue bathes Seahawks OC he’s considering for Raiders job

The Las Vegas Raiders need a new head coach, and minority owner Tom Brady got a front-row view for one of his top picks on Sunday.

According to ESPN senior reporter Jeremy Fowler, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has emerged as “a prime candidate” to become the Raiders’ next head coach following “a strong first interview.” It’s understandable why, as the 38-year-old led a Seattle offense that ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards and third in scoring en route to the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams. 

That game was broadcast by Fox and, wouldn’t you know it, Brady was on the call as an NFL analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt. And while concerns about his potential conflict of interest as a broadcaster and owner have died down, it was funny to listen to Brady use his platform to give Kubiak a tongue bath all evening long.

“I love the opening script by Kubiak,” said Brady, following Seattle’s first drive of the game, which resulted in a touchdown. “There was such great tempo with their offense.”

“Such a great play call by Klint Kubiak as well,” added Brady a little later in the quarter. “He understands that now, for the first time, the Rams’ D-line is like, let’s be super aggressive and try to make a big stop. Next thing you know, they take advantage of the overaggressiveness and the rush, and they lose coming out of the backfield.”

“Good design. You saw it with Klint Kubiak putting JSN in the backfield,” said Brady when discussing the formations the Rams were using on offense, oddly enough.

After a particularly good Seahawks play in the third quarter, Brady noted, “Great throw by Darnold, and great job by Kubiak dialing that up.”

“Both quarterbacks have played tremendous today,” Brady said towards the end of the third quarter. “145 rating for Stafford, 143 rating for Darnold. I love seeing good quarterback play. Really, a lot of great play-calling from both Kubiak and [Sean] McVay.”

“A very brave call, or I would say a courageous call from Klint Kubiak on the bootleg,” he said following a critical play late in the fourth quarter.

Finally, in the waning moments as the Seahawks were about to clinch their trip to the Super Bowl, Brady laid it on thick: “Kubiak designed some great plays, getting his guys open. And then Darnold just executing everything.”

Now, all of this wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary, especially considering the amazing game Darmold had at quarterback and the 396 yards of offense the Seahawks put up in the gutsy win. Had it been any other offensive coordinator, he might have been saying the same things.

But it’s still funny. And weird. And even if people don’t think much of the potential conflicts here (especially given Brady’s outsized role in the Raiders’ decision-making), it’s certainly noticeable to plenty of viewers.

By all accounts, Brady isn’t leaving the Fox booth anytime soon, so these kinds of things are just going to be part of the deal. Right now, they’re fairly harmless, but we do look forward to seeing how it will be handled, given that he has to call a Raiders game while also being one of the key people with a vested interest in their success.