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Tom Brady dedicated 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 ventured into various pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend 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 less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed 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. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," 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 opportunity to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime 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 uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking first-year players 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 QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level 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 Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

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