Tom Brady lost his head in sideline meltdown awkwardly caused by new Raiders quarterback

The Las Vegas Raiders were in desperate need of a quarterback, and the Cleveland Browns answered their calls.

Aidan O’Connell, who was expected to back up Geno Smith this season, went down with an injury in the preseason finale.

He fractured his right wrist against the Arizona Cardinals, and is expected to miss between six and eight weeks of action.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Sunday that the team would explore ‘all possibilities’ to find a new QB, and hoped to bring in experience ahead of rookie Cam Miller, who is also on the roster.

His prayers were answered in the form of Kenny Pickett.

Raiders trade for Pickett

The 27-year-old has played 30 NFL games to date, starting 25 of them, since he was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.

While he was the number one choice for much of his rookie season, Pickett’s career soon stuttered and he found himself playing backup to Jalen Hurts for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.

Still, he has thrown for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the pros to date.

For much of the summer, Pickett was locked in a four-way QB battle on the Browns, and was widely expected to back up veteran Joe Flacco in Ohio, ahead of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Instead, he has arrived in Vegas, with a 2026 fifth-round pick landing in Cleveland in return.

While he brings in the experience that Carroll asked for, he might have to work to win over another man who calls the shots at Allegiant Stadium — Tom Brady.

The legendary NFL quarterback is a minority owner in the Raiders, and back in his playing days, TB12 lost his head in the heat of battle against Pickett and the Steelers.

NFL on Fox

NFL on Fox

NFL on Fox

Brady fumes at O-line in resurfaced footage

After Pickett was traded to Las Vegas, a video emerged from a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Steelers back in October 2022.

With the Bucs trailing 10-6 before halftime, Brady unleashed hell on his offensive line, and demanded they step up and show their worth.

“You’re so much better than the way you’re f***ing playing,” he yelled, in a moment caught by the Fox broadcast.

Brady, who has recently seen his own broadcasting rules relaxed by the NFL, dropped at least one more f-bomb on his teammates before the camera cut away.

The video has resurfaced in recent days, with some fans claiming Brady had told his O-line: “I didn’t leave my wife and kids to be losing to Kenny f***ing Pickett.”

He does not actually appear to say those words in the clip circulating on social media as some suggest, however.

Getty

Getty

Why was Brady so angry at his teammates?

Even if he didn’t reference Pickett on the sideline, it’s fair to say the young Steelers QB was a factor in Brady losing his head.

The Bucs went into halftime 10-9 down, in a game Brady faced intense pressure from Pittsburgh’s pass rush and was sacked twice before the break.

Pickett, meanwhile, threw a touchdown in the first quarter and went on to complete 11 of 18 passes for 67 yards.

He exited the game in the third quarter due to injury and Mitch Trubisky, who had recently lost the starting job, stepped in to finish.

Pittsburgh went on to close out a 20-18 win, and snap a four-game losing streak.

Three years on, Brady and Pickett will hope to find success together in Las Vegas.

But it’s probably best that the new Raiders QB doesn’t go out of his way to remind TB12 of his sideline meltdown.

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