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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful 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 lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time plays 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 defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base 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 is not all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and front-office heads 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 erased any clear strategic direction. Still, 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 said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning OC in the league. 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's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL 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 Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players 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 young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled 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 experience.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, approves major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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