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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss 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' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was working 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, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, 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. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled 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 erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press 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 rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved handing a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, 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 midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing rookies to find out what they have for the future. 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 lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Future

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

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

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