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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager 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," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the key hires and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any aspirations for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the defense gave him and showing flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the coming years. 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 limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing 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 call the shots in the offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through intense dedication. The Raiders could benefit from more than an hour of it.