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

Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in league history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for a major network. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has promoted digital assets. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his dog. Brady's post-career ventures appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three 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 team this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered significant gains to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for another game.

A Series of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the league.

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 championship and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is staring at the prospect of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Turmoil

This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, 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 feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased 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 deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his first press conference in January. "This is his chance to put his stamp on a team."

Brady made the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a draft selection for Geno Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It has become a complete failure. Last season'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 philosophy, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has submarined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the end of the game.

The contrast with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be The Answer at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was effective, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Direction

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' rookie class represent future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a competitive squad, 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. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have combined for nine catches 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 reps.

Unclear Direction

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 team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on other projects?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have paths. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No identity. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the summer.

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