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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But managing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any team this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast 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 organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move 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 lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the standings. He was supposed to return the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. 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 feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented 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 college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved handing a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner 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 An Answer in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was effective, accepting 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 Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of 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 coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. 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 grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

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

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