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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend 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 first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding 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 all of them has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to restore the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved entrusting a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coach and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and resilient. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the end of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. 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 impressive first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain 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 team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous 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 make decisions in the offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than limited attention of it.