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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't supposed 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 oversee a protracted process back up the league table. He was supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has erased any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the plays 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 NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence 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 position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets 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 truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic 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 make decisions in the summer.

Tom Brady once mastered football through intense dedication. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.