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Delay of Brady's purchase into Raiders not related to Fox deal?
Tom Brady. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Delay of Tom Brady's purchase into Raiders not related to Fox deal?

It appears stories suggesting that NFL owners weren't yet ready to approve Tom Brady becoming a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders for reasons related to his deal with Fox may not have been entirely accurate. 

Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Tuesday that "a person with knowledge of the situation" revealed that "the price point" Brady's group and Raiders principal owner Mark Davis are discussing regarding the retired quarterback's purchase remains a "possible" issue. 

It was said as far back as this past October that Brady's agreement with Davis had "a lot of problems," as Davis had allegedly offered Brady’s purchasing group a 10% stake in the team at a "discounted price." 

For a piece published on Feb. 8, Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico shared that Brady’s group had revised its figures "to mirror the Raiders' valuation in an unrelated transaction from earlier in 2023." 

Bonsignore mentioned how the Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams "agreed to a flip-tax stipulation in which fellow owners got a piece of the sales prices" as part of those franchises receiving permission to relocate during the second half of the 2010s. Bonsignore added that "owners could want Davis to sell [to Brady] at a higher price point to maximize their 10% cut." 

Brady is set to become Fox's No. 1 NFL analyst this coming season via the terms of a 10-year contract reportedly worth $375M, and multiple reporters previously speculated that owners around the league may not want a minority owner receiving access to training facilities and to what Bonsignore referred to as "sensitive information." Broadcasters routinely participate in pregame meetings with coaches and players throughout NFL seasons. 

However, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk noted on Tuesday afternoon that "there’s no sign that the league is set to bar Brady from ultimately entering the ownership club at this time." 

Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday and indicated it's a matter of when, not if, Brady will become a limited partner with the Raiders. 

"I wouldn't say it's a delay," Goodell said about the situation, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "We go through a very thorough process ... We're just going through our process. We've been in touch with their side. I think it's been making progress."

24 of the 32 team owners must vote to approve all franchise ownership changes. A vote on Brady's deal could occur when owners reconvene in May.

Greg Olsen, Fox's most recent lead NFL analyst, is still employed by the network and seemingly is waiting to learn if he'll be dropped to the No. 2 broadcast crew for the 2024 campaign. 

While nothing is set in stone, it appears Brady won't have to choose between having a relationship with the Raiders and working for one of the NFL's media partners this fall. 

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