🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored various pursuits. He works as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was tackled 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 ineffective for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 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 standings. 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 Turmoil

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the 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 influence that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments 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 approved a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved handing a unreliable offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to the coach's family member.

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 disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end 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 quarterback takedowns away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. 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 real playing time. There has apparently already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Future

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The single factor 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 building, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

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