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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the 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 final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any team this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in 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 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to return the team to relevance and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This isn't all Brady's fault, of course. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He approved a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Granted, 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 get ready, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, 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 truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference stacked with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

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 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.