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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a struggling team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the final period. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and each one has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the NFL.

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

Organizational Dysfunction

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM 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," league reporter a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the key hires and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are building, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

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