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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Dubious Decisions

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach 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 restore the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the prospect 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 executives at a rate that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate 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 Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a unreliable offensive line – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, he was solid, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying flashes 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' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. 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 bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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