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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various pursuits. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. 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 fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a struggling team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless plays 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 defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then transition them with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news 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 rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he approved handing a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns 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 – Quinshon Judkins at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers 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 roll out grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Future

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing 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 excelled at football through intense dedication. The Raiders could benefit from more than an hour of it.