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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful 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 underperforming team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time plays in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in 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 NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including trading a draft selection for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference 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 all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the defense gave him and showing glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. 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 offensive line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Future

Where is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes 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. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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