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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. 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 fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a rate 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 turnover rate that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC 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.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and resilient. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected 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 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 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 QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has apparently 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. 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 grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. 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 use more than an hour of it.