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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a singular mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the least successful 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 lose; they were humiliated by a struggling team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Dubious Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season 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 all of them has backfired. Those moves have resulted in 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 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to relevance and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis 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 head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said 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 placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a draft selection for Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous 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 installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. 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 multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing rookies to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

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 summer.

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