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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or unfocused, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday 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 first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those moves have left 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 hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return 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 restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. 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 head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on handing a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented 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 uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end 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 quarterback takedowns away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

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

Absence of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to find out what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes 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 paths. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective 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 offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could benefit from more than limited attention of it.