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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped 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 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless team in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. 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 general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any coherent long-term vision. 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 deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a team."

Brady was responsible for 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 roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired 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 embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out young players to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Future

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

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