🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them 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 appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved entrusting a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Results

It's been 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, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was expected 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 pronounced. The situation often seems dire 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 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 a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted 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 significant action. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. 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 ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than limited attention of it.