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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped 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 underperforming 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 final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team 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 expected to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, 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 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 feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability 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 Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said 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 directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie 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 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 positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing young players to find out 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 offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The only thing more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the summer.

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