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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a singular mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Decisions

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

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press 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 rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the bedrock for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any hopes for their rookie 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 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 NFL single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. 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' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of reps.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. 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 distinctive style. No strategic vision.

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

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