1. It’s hard to fully analyze next season’s NFL schedule because 1) it isn’t out yet and 2) with crossflex between CBS and Fox, we don’t know which games will air on which networks.
However, with the Raiders hiring Pete Carroll Friday morning, the possibility of Tom Brady calling a Las Vegas game is very real.
When Brady became a 5% owner of the Raiders, the league gave the green light for him to call games featuring the team. While he has restrictions on being a broadcaster, calling a Raiders game is not among them.
You can be sure Fox would LOVE to have Brady in the booth for a couple of Raiders game just for the attention it would generate. It would be a full week of “CONFLICT OF INTEREST” thinkpieces.
The Raiders are scheduled to play five NFC teams in 2025: Cowboys, Giants, Bears, Eagles and Commanders.
My guess is at least a couple of those games will get prime-time slots. CBS is in the mix for some of those games, too. But that will still leave one or two decent games for Fox to slide into its 4:25 p.m. slot on Sunday with Brady and Kevin Burkhardt behind the mic.
There isn’t a bigger conspiracy theory sports fans love more than “X announcer is rooting for X team.”
In the case of Brady calling a Raiders game, it will be a reality, not a conspiracy theory.
2. We usually feature light-hearted Inside the NBA clips here, but Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal engaged in a serious discussion Thursday night about Jimmy Butler’s situation with the Heat. It was excellent television despite Shaq being 100% wrong.
"You don't want me, I don't want to be here" 😳
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2025
Things get HEATED in Studio J as the Fellas talk Jimmy Butler 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/AYyXAdk7Q6
3. After a full week of “the Chiefs get all the calls from the refs” analysis, now we’re onto “did the NFL assign Clete Blakeman” to ref the Bills-Chiefs game to even things out?”
In all seriousness, though, the article linked in the tweet below offers some good insight into the officials for Sunday’s games.
Clete Blakeman's officiating history raises questions for the AFC Championship:
— Sharp Football Analysis (@SharpFBAnalysis) January 24, 2025
Chiefs are 5-6 under him, Bills 6-2.
Home teams went 5-11 ATS in 2024 and 3-9 ATS in playoff games.
Can Buffalo overcome KC in high-stakes moments?
Full breakdown:https://t.co/Oji6hGIb7P
4. NHL referee Kyle Rehman had a must-hear call during Thursday’s Predators-Sharks game.
here’s clear audio of Kyle Rehman’s great penalty announcement as heard with us on @1025TheGame pic.twitter.com/s0W6zbak5J
— Max Herz (@MaxHerzTalks) January 24, 2025
5. I think every Pat McAfee Show viewer would agree that this was very well done.
The Pat McAfee Show after the JFK assassination pic.twitter.com/ZNV3YAWFvA
— Danny Goodwin (@dannywgoodwin) January 23, 2025
6. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast dropped Thursday morning and this week’s guest is ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio.
Topics covered include the significant ratings drop for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the latest regarding the league going to an 18-game schedule, Netflix’s involvement in the NFL, the narrative that the league and the refs want the Chiefs to win, the practice of having coaches interview for jobs with other teams while they are in the playoffs, what happened to Deion Sanders possibly becoming the Cowboys coach, Tom Brady’s conflict of interest in calling game for Fox while being one of the owners of the Raiders and much, much more.
Following Florio, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include the AFC and NFC championship games, Chiefs fatigue, Bob Uecker, dark sitcom moments and more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: In preparation for Sunday’s AFC Championship game between the Bills and Chiefs, here are the final two minutes of the epic divisional round game the teams played in 2022. A few notes: The final two minutes took 30 minutes in real time. Jim Nantz’s voice was struggling by the end. Nantz and Tony Romo probably had their finest broadcasting moment when both said with 13 seconds left that the Bills needed to squib kick or not kick the ball in the end zone. Instead, Buffalo coach Sean McDermott had the team kick it in the end zone and the rest is history.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Does Pete Carroll Hiring Mean We’ll Hear Tom Brady Call a Raiders Game Next Season?.
