🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On the defensive side, 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. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

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

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was supposed to restore the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter a prominent journalist said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press 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 hired John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Results

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire 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 impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No quarterback. No identity. No plan.

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

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