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Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, depending on your perspective.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB 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 single-game high for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a rate 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 eliminated 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 a prominent journalist said last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press 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 co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes two potential stars – 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 QB, 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 too big for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of improvisation. 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 symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. 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 thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust midstream. Like Cleveland, 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 significant action. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, approves major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a conference filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

The single factor more dangerous 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 benefit from more than an hour of it.