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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But managing a NFL team is hardly a casual commitment. 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 fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series 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 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 aimless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

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 speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate 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," league reporter a prominent journalist said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, 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' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and showing flashes 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 represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite 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 rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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