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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year 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 all of them has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to manage a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he signed off on handing a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins 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.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

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. Good organizations recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies 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 coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing 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 developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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