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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding the NFL to the Middle East. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a NFL team is hardly a casual commitment. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the campaign. However you analyze 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 Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the standings. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and selecting 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 highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he approved handing a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was facing 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 solid, accepting what the defense gave him and showing glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not knowing 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 ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than limited attention of it.