Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a singular mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a broadcaster for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's spreading American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your perspective.
Side projects are understandable. But managing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the NFL.
The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time plays in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains 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 watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.
A Series of Questionable Choices
To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless franchise in the NFL.
This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to relevance and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.
Franchise Turmoil
This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist commented last offseason. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a franchise."
Brady made the key hires and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back with the sixth pick despite having a bottom-tier O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he approved handing a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.
Disastrous Outcomes
It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and resilient. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any aspirations for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the plays to the conclusion of the game.
The contrast with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at running back and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.
Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders showed that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was effective, taking what the defense gave him and showing flashes 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 future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. 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 playing young players to find out what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has apparently already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. Rookie receivers two young talents have combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of reps.
Unclear Direction
What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, 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. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are loaded with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.
The only thing 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 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.
