🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing 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, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering 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 professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time plays in the final period. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. 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 Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect 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 majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last offseason. "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 franchise."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down 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. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage 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 improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back 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 logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No plan.

The single factor more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the summer.

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