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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. 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 eclectic or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three 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 season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those moves have left 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 hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to relevance and then transition them with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the key hires and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he approved handing a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, taking 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

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the overwhelming evidence otherwise, 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 rookies have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled 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

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. 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 recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, 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.