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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. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend 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 quarterback 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 sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a minority owner of the franchise 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 directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. 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 blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end 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 stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been tension 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 Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off 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 stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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