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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming 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 was pressured 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a long slog 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 staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a rate 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 influence that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a team."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a draft selection for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays 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 quarterback takedowns away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more problematic than being bad 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 benefit from more than an hour of it.