Brady's Part-Time Role with the Raiders: An Unsettling Scenario
Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He works 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 operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or unfocused, depending on your viewpoint.
Secondary ventures are understandable. But managing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the league.
The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; 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 final period. 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 big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for most of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.
A Series of Questionable Decisions
To be fair 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 accountable for every significant move last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and directionless franchise in the NFL.
This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. 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 oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was supposed to return the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.
Organizational Dysfunction
This isn't entirely Brady's responsibility, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's fingerprints that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "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 rudderless course. He appointed John Spytek, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to serve as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the NCAA, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he signed off on handing a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and running back – to Carroll's son.
Disastrous Results
It has become a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for the snaps to the conclusion of the game.
The difference with Cleveland was stark. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five sacks away from the league single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at running back and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is a viable option in the short-term.
Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed that the stage was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and showing glimpses of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.
Lack of Vision
The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their situation in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications otherwise, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out young players to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaches and the management regarding the lack of action for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled 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.
Uncertain Direction
Where is the future direction? Will Carroll be back or the GM or the quarterback? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise operate when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?
It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division filled with consistently successful teams. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.
The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not recognizing you're bad. The Raiders lack clarity on where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.
Tom Brady once mastered football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could benefit from more than an hour of it.
