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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished 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 involved in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, depending 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 football leader for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering 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' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless plays in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach 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 relevance and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, 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 summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said 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 placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the run game. 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 difference with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has apparently already been tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are building, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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