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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into various pursuits. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a underperforming 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 season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season 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 proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a long slog 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 prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints 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 integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a team."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, 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 NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger 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 facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. 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 reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. 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 call the shots in the summer.

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