🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various pursuits. He works as a commentator for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland 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 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Questionable Choices

To be fair 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 responsible for every significant move last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner 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 head 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 version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a team."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he approved entrusting a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could benefit from more than an hour of it.