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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a struggling 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 faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless 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 Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the prospect 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. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter a prominent journalist said last summer. "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 team."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous 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 disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks 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 multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at running back 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' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The New York 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 only thing more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the summer.

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