🔗 Share this article

Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in development ventures in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for another game.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless team in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a protracted process back up the standings. He was supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Dysfunction

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning OC in the league. And he signed off on handing a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. 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 submarined any hopes for their rookie and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the plays 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 league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to get ready, 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 Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust 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 apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Future

What is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

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

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