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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a casual commitment. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility 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 speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head 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 all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he approved entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Results

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive 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 permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, 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 reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has apparently 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. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate 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 get better – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The single factor more dangerous 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.