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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He accomplished that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Secondary ventures are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Raiders, currently 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 get defeated; they were humiliated by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays in the final period. Their quarterback was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a season record for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining 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, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, 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 all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any coherent long-term vision. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He approved a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations 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 snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns 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 – Quinshon Judkins at RB and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, taking what the defense gave him and showing flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their situation 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. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. 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 sieve. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of reps.

Unclear Future

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more dangerous than being bad 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 summer.

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