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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various pursuits. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at 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, of course. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled 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 GM in 15 years, a turnover rate 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 Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr 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 the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

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

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The single factor more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. 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.