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Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Choices

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to manage a protracted process back up the standings. He was supposed to restore the team to relevance and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, of course. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and front-office heads at a speed that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. 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. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter a prominent journalist commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a draft selection for Geno Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he approved handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a complete failure. Last season's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays 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 quarterback takedowns away from the NFL single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – 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 quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, 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 defense gave him and showing glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class represent promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be throwing out young players to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Future

Where is the path forward? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

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

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