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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in retirement, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But managing a professional franchise is hardly a casual commitment. In addition to his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Series of Questionable Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless franchise in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability 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," league reporter a prominent journalist commented last summer. "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 team."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a unreliable offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless 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 glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at running back and a skilled defender at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No identity. No strategic vision.

The single factor more dangerous than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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