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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But managing a NFL team is hardly a casual commitment. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial 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 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays in the final period. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise 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. Fortunately 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 Series of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Dysfunction

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. Mark Davis 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 clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive 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 submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class 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 QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

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

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand 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 overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

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

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