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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then hand them off 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.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout 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 introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady made the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to serve as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-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 flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy 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' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. 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 believing they were a couple of moves 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 playing young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the summer.

Tom Brady once mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than limited attention of it.