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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell 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 quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. 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 network coverage for another game.

A Series of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "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 appointed John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he signed off on handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the NFL single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, 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 opposition gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing 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 coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the future direction? 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 primary influencer participates sporadically, 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 conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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