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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most 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 sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

To be fair 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 accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those moves 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 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 standings. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This isn't all Brady's fault, of course. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a draft selection for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he approved handing a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the defense gave him and showing glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

Where is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No distinctive style. 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 excelled at football through intense dedication. The Raiders could benefit from more than an hour of it.