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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a NFL team is not a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high 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. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Questionable Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. 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 version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC 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.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was effective, taking what the defense gave him and showing glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback 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 ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

Tom Brady once mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could benefit from more than an hour of it.