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Tom Brady committed over two decades to a singular mission: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career ventures appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the unofficial football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently 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 embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. 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 single-game high for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately 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 Dubious 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 summer, and each one has backfired. Those moves have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't supposed to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This isn't all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero said last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a RB with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Outcomes

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks 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 Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was against the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and showing flashes of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they haven't pivoted 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 disagreement between the coaching staff and the management regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its primary influencer logs in occasionally, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. 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 lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the summer.

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