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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three 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 franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old 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 league table. He was supposed to return the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," 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 opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It has become a complete failure. 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 old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins 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 An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying 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' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

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