A new era will dawn in Week 1 for the Las Vegas Raiders, but minority owner Tom Brady won’t be around to see it.
The AFC West franchise were the worst in the NFL last season, and landed the No. 1 selection of the 2026 draft thanks to a dismal 3-14 finish.
With that top pick, the Raiders took Fernando Mendoza, and hope he can be the quarterback to lead them to success.
Mendoza has joined up with new head coach Klint Kubiak, who won Super Bowl LX as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks last season.
Throw in a number of expensive free agent signings, including veteran QB Kirk Cousins and center Tyler Linderbaum, and the 2026 outlook looks bright in Sin City.
As it stands, the Raiders are trending towards starting $172 million signing Cousins, instead of rookie Mendoza, in Week 1.
But regardless of who suits up against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on September 13, Brady won’t be there to see it.
Tom Brady’s Week 1 game confirmed as FOX reveal 2026 broadcast lineup
Instead, the seven-time Super Bowl champion will be 2,509 miles away in Philadelphia.
Brady will resume his $375 million FOX analyst role alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, and the pair will start their third season together calling the Eagles vs the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field.
Outside the booth, they will be joined on the sidelines by Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.
Together, those four names form FOX’s lead announce team, who will cover America’s Game of the Week throughout 2026.
On the NFL’s opening weekend, the Eagles vs Commanders game and the Raiders vs Dolphins clash both kick off at 4:25pm ET, meaning Brady will not be able to make it to Las Vegas to watch the team he owns.
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FOX will also broadcast the latter game, with a different crew.
Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Chris Myers will start his 26th season with FOX at Allegiant Stadium, and will be alongside three-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth.
Reporter Jen Hale is on the sidelines for that game.
For the first time since 2023, the NFL has scheduled a double-doubleheader in Week 1, meaning both FOX and CBS will air competing national-window games at 4:25pm.
CBS, the network that has recently placed its No. 1 analyst Tony Romo on indefinite leave, will broadcast the Los Angeles Chargers vs the Arizona Cardinals from SoFi Stadium, and the Minnesota Vikings vs the Green Bay Packers from US Bank Stadium in the late afternoon window.
Earlier in the day Greg Olsen, who has been tipped to one day fill Romo’s role, will be on duty for FOX.
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The network’s No. 2 crew of Joe Davis, Olsen and Pam Oliver will call the Atlanta Falcons at the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1pm ET.
Meanwhile, Drew Brees — who is going into the Hall of Fame this week — has replaced Mark Sanchez in FOX’s third crew.
He will open the season with the Chicago Bears visiting the Carolina Panthers at 1pm ET, alongside play-by-play voice Adam Amin, who will enter his first full year in the booth. Kristina Pink rounds out that team on the sidelines.
