While most remember Tom Brady as the legendary quarterback for the New England Patriots or his time leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the future Hall of Famer is currently backing another team as he is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The team got off to a strong start on Sunday, ironically defeating the Patriots. Following the win, Brady sent a simple but powerful message to Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.
Tom Brady Sends Message to Geno Smith After Raiders Week 1 Win
The Raiders made major moves this offseason following a disappointing 4-13 2024 campaign. The team hired Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll to lead the franchise and acquired Smith from the Seattle Seahawks to become their starting quarterback.
Brady, who has been a minority owner of the Raiders since October 2024, played a role in making those moves, and they are already paying dividends. Las Vegas opened the 2025 season with a 20-13 win over the Patriots.
Smith was great in the season opener, completing 24 of 34 passes for 362 yards and a touchdown. His performance far exceeds what the Raiders have seen at quarterback in recent years, and if he maintains this level of play, Las Vegas could be a very competitive team in 2025.
Geno Smith makes one of the better throws I’ve ever seen from him, threading the needle to Jakobi Meyers
Geno in Las Vegas is already starting to cook and Meyers is getting the ball early.
LV! pic.twitter.com/YC8m1oUHAB
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 7, 2025
After the win, Brady was quick to acknowledge Smith’s strong performance. True to form, he also pushed for more, sending the quarterback a simple but powerful eight-word text message.
“Good game. Get ready for the next one,” Brady wrote.
The text sums up Brady’s mindset. While he was pleased with Smith’s performance in the Raiders’ win, he doesn’t want the veteran quarterback to grow complacent. Brady knows that if Las Vegas wants to keep winning, Smith will need to maintain a high level of play.
After a long NFL career full of ups and downs, Smith finally found his footing in Seattle when the franchise traded Russell Wilson and named him the starter in 2022.
Over the past three seasons, he has emerged as one of the league’s top quarterbacks, throwing for 12,226 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions, earning two Pro Bowl selections and winning the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022.
Smith can push the ball downfield, is accurate, has the experience to be comfortable in any offense, and is a strong leader, making him the ideal quarterback to take over the Raiders and bring stability to their offense.
Brady knows better than anyone what it takes to win in the NFL, and much of it comes down to mentality. While he was pleased with Smith leading the Raiders to victory, he wants to see that level of play maintained week in and week out.
Smith will have the chance to prove that his Week One performance was just the beginning when the Raiders face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, September 15.
