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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is not a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays in the final period. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Collection of Dubious Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Dysfunction

This isn't all Brady's fault, of course. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter a prominent journalist said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and drafting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the opposition gave him and showing glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, 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 midstream. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing young players to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over rookies in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

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

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous 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 call the shots in the summer.

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