Tom Brady is calling Fox’s broadcast of the Commanders-Lions NFC divisional-round playoff game Saturday night. He’s also considering Detroit’s two coordinators for the Raiders’ head coach position—maybe even trying to lure one of them.

Is that a conflict of interest?

The “Brady Rules” that were created when the seven-time Super Bowl champion became a part-owner of the Raiders on top of his $375 million gig with Fox’s No. 1 NFL team haven’t slowed down the future Hall of Famer on TV, but they are coming under the biggest spotlight yet this postseason.

Brady can’t take part in traditional announcer perks like attending production meetings and team practices or entering team facilities. However, nothing is preventing him from speaking to other teams’ coaches on his own, which he has done.

The Raiders have already conducted virtual interviews with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Raiders majority owner Mark Davis previously said Brady would have a “huge” say in the future direction of the team—and he is reported to be heavily involved in both the coach and GM search.

This week, Johnson said the only time he has ever met Brady in person was at Lambeau Field during pregame warmups before the Lions-Packers Week 6 game, which Brady called for Fox.

Brady could reach out to Johnson—rumored to be the top candidate for Las Vegas—or Glenn again ahead of Saturday’s game and certainly could cross paths with them before kickoff at Ford Field.

What Will Brady Say?

It will be interesting to see whether Brady addresses Johnson’s or Glenn’s interviews with the Raiders.

When Fox aired the Eagles-Buccaneers game in Week 4, Brady gave his thoughts on some comments Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield had made about Brady’s leadership style while playing for the Bucs. This situation is very different, though.

Brady did not call a Raiders game this year, but he did work a game involving the AFC West rival Chiefs and conducted a sit-down interview with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

To close out his first season at Fox, Brady will call the NFC championship game and Super Bowl LIX.

After a frenetic, record-setting beginning to MLB’s offseason hot-stove period, the free-agency market has slowed considerably to a near-crawl as several big names are still looking for new professional homes. 

The first six weeks of the offseason included a massive run of deals that included the historic, $765 million contract between the Mets and Juan Soto, a flurry of moves by the Yankees to help counter that superstar’s departure, the Dodgers continuing to flex their financial and competitive might with a $182 million pact for pitcher Blake Snell, and even a surprising, $210 million agreement between the Diamondbacks and star pitcher Corbin Burnes. 

Recent weeks, however, have revealed a much more cautious cadence, leaving former All-Stars such as Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Anthony Santander, and Tanner Scott still unsigned. The changing mood of the current free-agent market arrives as teams have upcoming arbitration hearings for eligible players who haven’t reached deals with their clubs, and franchises are now looking to finalize player payrolls for the upcoming 2025 season.

Spring training camps, meanwhile, open in less than a month for all 30 clubs. 

The elongated timetable for the collection of still-unsigned star free agents recalls the “Boras Four” of the 2023–2024 offseason, a group of players represented by top agent Scott Boras and including Snell, fellow pitcher Jordan Montgomery, outfielder Cody Bellinger, and third-baseman Matt Chapman. Each of the quartet signed late in last year’s cycle with contracts below initial expectations, and then often struggled on the field—particularly in the early part of the 2024 season.

Snell since recovered to sign his big deal with the Dodgers, the former National League MVP Bellinger is now part of the Yankees’ recent retooling and is eyed for a big comeback in 2025, Montgomery returned to the Diamondbacks after being a target of criticism by team owner Ken Kendrick, and Chapman signed a six-year, $151 million extension with the Giants in September. 

Boras represents Alonso and Bregman, with the former perhaps now considering a shorter-term contract with opt-outs in a situation said to be growing more urgent, and the latter reportedly less inclined to abandon a long-term agreement. 

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league cofounded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, tips off Friday. The league’s launch comes at an opportune time in women’s basketball given the steep rise in viewership and attendance of the sport, both in the WNBA and NCAA.

But launching a new pro sports league is a risk. There are numerous examples of ambitious leagues that were unable to sustain their business—the XFL being the most prominent. Even the WNBA just recently found its footing after financial issues threatened its long-term existence.

Unlike other upstarts, Unrivaled’s pool of players have established fan bases since all 36 players in its inaugural season are from the WNBA. According to Horizon Sports and Experiences CEO David Levy, whose firm was one of the initial lead investors in Unrivaled, the player pool is the league’s secret sauce.

“Why I think this is going to be successful is because the names on the back of the jerseys are the best of the best,” Levy told Front Office Sports.

Levy, the former president of Turner who reportedly helped facilitate the league’s multiyear media-rights deal with TNT, said a base of WNBA stars not only helps in bringing viewership, but also in securing additional investors and brand partnerships such as Under Armour, Samsung Galaxy, and Sephora. Its slew of investors includes athletes such as Alex Morgan and Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as firms like Avenue Sports Fund and the Black Economic Alliance Venture Fund.

While Levy stayed mum on his target ROI date for the Unrivaled investment, he did make it clear it’s “way ahead” of the initial forecasts given by president Alex Bazzell in early 2024. Given the league’s increase to a 36-player pool from an original announcement of 30, it seems its budget has increased over the last few months.

Missing Piece

Noticeably absent from Unrivaled is Caitlin Clark, who, FOS reported in October, the league attempted to lure with “a Lionel Messi–like” deal. Levy did not shy away from acknowledging Clark’s absence as he mentioned the importance of star power in the league’s success this year and moving forward.

“As Alex has said multiple times, if she’s interested, we’re interested,” Levy told FOS. “How could we not? I think she’ll add a lot to the league. But I also think the league is going to be very successful because the league is not built on one name.”

While Unrivaled has left the door open for Clark to join in the future, it has already secured an investment from college star JuJu Watkins and signed NIL deals with Paige Bueckers and Flau’jae Johnson, all of whom are expected to join once they turn pro.