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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He works as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains 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 watch. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

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

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the 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. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter a prominent journalist commented last offseason. "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 crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved handing a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays 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 quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated 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 showing glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing young players to find out what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, 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's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

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

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