Brady's Part-Time Involvement with the Raiders: An Unsettling Scenario

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He works as a commentator for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or unfocused, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just get defeated; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Dubious Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last summer, and each one has backfired. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't supposed to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship 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 staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. 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 coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," 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 opportunity to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the key hires and set the Raiders on this rudderless course. He appointed John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He approved a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including trading a third-round pick for Geno Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing offensive line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at LB. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Admittedly, it was facing 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 opposition gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from respectability. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the offensive line being a sieve. Rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over rookies in need of reps.

Unclear Direction

Where is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have paths. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The single factor more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the summer.

Tom Brady once mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could benefit from more than limited attention of it.