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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various endeavors. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But managing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. 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 franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head 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 general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter a prominent journalist said last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coach 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 competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, taking what the opposition gave him and showing glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the limited playing time 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 totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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