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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering mission: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or aimless, depending 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 unofficial football leader for the Raiders, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness 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 isn't all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM 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 commented last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. 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 league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, 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 glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office 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 passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? 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, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

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

Tom Brady once excelled at football through intense dedication. The Raiders could benefit from more than limited attention of it.