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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But managing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a struggling team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation 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 Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a rate 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 influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a team."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class represent future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Direction

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will make decisions in the summer.

Tom Brady once mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.