🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding the NFL to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit 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 Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was supposed to return the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh 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 evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last summer. "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 crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end of the game.

The contrast 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 league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to find out what they have for the coming years. 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 rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

The single factor more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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