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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This isn't all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter a prominent journalist said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class represent future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No identity. No plan.

The only thing more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will make decisions in the summer.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through intense dedication. The Raiders could use more than limited attention of it.