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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged 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 retirement ventures appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday 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 garbage-time action in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any team this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

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 championship and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. 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 single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and showing glimpses of improvisation. 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' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has apparently already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers 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 defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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