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Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But managing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a draft selection for Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, 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 overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they failed to adjust during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive 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 passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the summer.

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