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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss 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 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless 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 manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was supposed to return the team to relevance and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York 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. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over 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 stated 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 key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented 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. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end 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 sacks away from the NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the impressive rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution 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 overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Future

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves 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 division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. 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.