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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted 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 unfocused, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three 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 franchise this year. On the defensive side, 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 thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to restore 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 reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last offseason. "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 was responsible for the key hires and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, 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 first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, 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 apparently already been tension between the coaching staff 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 totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. 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.