🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's football decisions, 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 moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last summer. "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 franchise."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – 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 competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Future

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective 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 mastered football through intense dedication. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.