Brady's Part-Time Involvement with the Las Vegas Raiders: A Chaotic Situation

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering mission: becoming the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Today, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous pursuits. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in development ventures in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's spreading American football to Saudi Arabia. He operates a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his dog. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But overseeing a professional franchise is not a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady functions as the unofficial football leader for the Raiders, presently 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 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 meaningless plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect of this latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Choices

To be fair to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's football decisions, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every major decision last summer, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a championship and a NCAA title, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased 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," league reporter Tom Pelissero said 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 crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired John Spytek, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He approved a roster plan to the coach's specifications, 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 NCAA, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he signed off on entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and running back – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and resilient. This year's Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring energy. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the end 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 single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is optimism around the impressive first-year players 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 quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was effective, accepting what the defense gave him and displaying glimpses of creativity. 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 represent future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas began the season thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies 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 front office regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr have totaled nine receptions in eleven contests, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize experienced veterans on the defensive side over young players in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

Where is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker participates sporadically, signs off major organizational decisions, and then disappears on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are loaded with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have talented young QBs. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No quarterback. No distinctive style. 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 building, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through intense dedication. The Raiders could use more than limited attention of it.