Broncos head coach Sean Payton isn’t losing sleep over Tom Brady’s surprise appearance in the Raiders’ coaching booth. Even after a week of headlines questioning whether Brady, the minority owner of the Raiders and a Fox broadcaster, crossed a line by sitting in on coaching communications during Las Vegas’ Week 2 loss to the Chargers. Payton brushed it off.

“It doesn’t concern me,” Payton said on September 17. “Look, I understand he’s part ownership with the division opponent. I get that. And then he covers NFL games. That doesn’t bother me.” The NFL bent its own rulebook the moment Tom Brady bought a part of the Raiders, and now the league is living with the fallout.

Monday night, the football world stopped when cameras caught Brady in the Raiders’ coaching booth, headset on, locked in next to OC Chip Kelly during a divisional game. Within minutes, the NFL’s official X account posted a clip celebrating the moment, then quietly deleted it. Too late. Fans lit up social media, blasting what looked like a competitive cheat code for Vegas.

This is not just optics. Brady has already called two games as a FOX broadcaster featuring teams the Raiders will face later this year. Now he is in the booth helping his own team mid-game. Analysts are split. Some call it a masterclass in owner involvement. Others call it a dangerous precedent that blurs the line between business, broadcasting, and coaching. Pete Carroll, the architect of this experiment, is not blinking.

The Raiders coach denied Brady is calling plays, but made it clear the QB turned owner is a constant voice in the building. “He is the all time competitor.” Carroll said. “We are lucky to have him.”

On the other hand, interestingly, Payton’s relationship with Brady has grown beyond football Sundays.

Sean Payton partners with Tom Brady for international event

Sean Payton is taking Broncos country international. In March 2026, the Denver head coach will trade the Mile High sidelines for Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, joining Tom Brady, Kyle Shanahan, and Pete Carroll for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, the NFL’s boldest global experiment yet. And this is not just a promotional tour. Brady is suiting up. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is coming out of retirement to play, bringing Rob Gronkowski with him.

Their star-studded lineup reads like an All-Pro roster: Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, Myles Garrett, Sauce Gardner, Maxx Crosby, and Odell Beckham Jr. Fans around the world are already buzzing about seeing legends and current superstars sharing the same field in a high-octane, fast-paced competition.

Payton said the invitation was impossible to resist. “It’s significant when it comes to growing our game, with the Olympics not far around the corner,” he said. Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and this event is a preview of what the world will see on the grandest stage. The tournament will feature three teams, eight players each, playing on a 50-yard field with five-on-five, 20-minute halves.

Fox Sports will broadcast the event live, while comedian Kevin Hart adds entertainment as host. This is bigger than a friendly showcase. It is Brady and Payton on the same sideline, coaching and competing with the NFL’s best, planting the league’s flag, literally, in the Middle East.

For Sean Payton, it is a rare March vacation and a chance to coach NFL legends in a global spotlight. For football, it could mark the start of a new international era, showing the world that the sport is not just American, but global, fast, and full of excitement.