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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. 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 thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility 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, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a team."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It has become a complete failure. 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 implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying 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' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the future. 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 o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The single factor more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing 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 use more than an hour of it.