Brady's Side Role with the Raiders: An Unsettling Scenario

Tom Brady dedicated over two decades to a singular mission: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a commentator for a major network. He's involved in development ventures in Birmingham. He has endorsed digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He operates a popular YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either eclectic or aimless, depending on your viewpoint.

Side projects are understandable. But managing a NFL team is not a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were humiliated by a underperforming team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. However you analyze it, it was a comprehensive beatdown. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Series of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year guiding the team's personnel choices, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable 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 aimless team in the NFL.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group 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 transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, 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 all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and front-office heads at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's fingerprints that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider a prominent journalist 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 franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit 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 O-line. He recruited Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved handing a unreliable blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and running back – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It has become a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a team with limited success, but they were competitive and resilient. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, Smith looks past his prime and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the run game. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the conclusion of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. 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 the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is a viable option in the immediate future.

Admittedly, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the stage was not overwhelming for him. With a complete preparation period to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses 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' first-year players symbolize promise. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence 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 first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the limited playing time for two young blockers, despite the o-line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine catches in eleven contests, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Future

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise 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 division filled with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. 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 developing, or who will make decisions in the offseason.

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