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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. Any way you slice 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 network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to manage a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and front-office heads at a speed 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 iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated 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 placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a flaky blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak 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 positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies 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 coaching staff and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.