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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a singular objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But managing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and each one has backfired. Those decisions have left 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 hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off 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 reboot.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he approved handing a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. 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 Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the defense gave him and showing 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 symbolize promise. That's a mirror 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 rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. 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 identity. No plan.

The only thing more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. 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.