🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady committed over two decades to a singular mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

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 football leader for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed big plays 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 another game.

A Collection of Questionable 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 accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't expected 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 manage a long slog back up the standings. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Turmoil

This is not 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 New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a team."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL 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 running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine receptions 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 experience.

Unclear Future

Where is the future direction? 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 logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

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