Brady's Side Involvement with the Las Vegas Raiders: An Unsettling Scenario

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: becoming the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that dream. Now, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored numerous endeavors. He serves as a commentator for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in Birmingham. He has endorsed cryptocurrency. He's expanding American football to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either eclectic or unfocused, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a casual commitment. Alongside his other roles, Brady also serves as the unofficial decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, presently the most hapless team in the NFL.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss to the Cleveland 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' offensive unit averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this year. On defense, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to witness it. The primary decision-maker of this current situation 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 personnel choices, becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last offseason, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, among a select group to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to manage a protracted process back up the league table. He was expected to return the team to competitiveness and then transition them with a stable base in place. Instead, Carroll is facing the prospect of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Franchise Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the majority owner. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Brady's project," NFL Insider Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been integrally involved," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news 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 rudderless course. He appointed a close associate, his college buddy and colleague in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including trading a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a poor-performing O-line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he approved entrusting a flaky blocking unit – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Disastrous Results

It's been a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was supposed to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the snaps to the end of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was stark. Things are always bleak with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the league all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is optimism around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was against the Raiders' defense, but Sanders showed 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 improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' first-year players represent future potential. That's a mirror the Raiders don't want to look into. Good organizations understand their position in the league hierarchy: you're either a contender, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing rookies to find out what they have for the future. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has apparently already been tension between the coaching staff and the front office regarding the lack of action 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 combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on the defensive side over rookies in need of reps.

Unclear Future

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or Smith? And who actually makes those decisions, 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 conference filled with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have nothing. 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 building, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could use more than an hour of it.