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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and each one has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility 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 coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the New York 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 influence that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter a prominent journalist said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick 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 handing a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – 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 scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, 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 haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing 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 mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.