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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays 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 allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless franchise in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to oversee a protracted process back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off 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.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. 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. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

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

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