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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator 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 family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

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

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a QB 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 faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 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 restore the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the key hires 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 Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined 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, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class 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 An Answer in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has apparently 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. Rookie receivers 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 young players in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The single factor more dangerous than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, 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.