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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored various pursuits. He works as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career activities 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 other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday 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 quarterback 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 faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. 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 Series of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a stable base 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.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. 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 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 integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy 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 drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. 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 aspirations for their rookie and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, 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 Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class represent future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players 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 coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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