🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into various pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But managing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a quarterback 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 season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional 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 current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness 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 responsible for every significant move last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, 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 Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he approved entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Results

It has become a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the end of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender 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.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming 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 Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing 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 tension between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

Where 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 franchise operate when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor 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 developing, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

Tom Brady once mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.