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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 goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. 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 ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least 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 Series of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach 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 supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability 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 Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the impressive rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaching staff 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 combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The only thing more problematic 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 call the shots in the summer.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.