Brady's Side Involvement with the Las Vegas Raiders: A Chaotic Situation

Tom Brady committed over two decades to a singular objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has ventured into various endeavors. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted cryptocurrency. He's spreading the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. 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 de facto decision-maker for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a underperforming team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders' offense averaged 2.9 yards per play before garbage-time plays in the final period. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On the defensive side, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the campaign. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to watch. The primary decision-maker of this current situation was working in Dallas on the network coverage for Eagles-Cowboys.

A Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only spent one season leading the team's football decisions, after becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last offseason, and all of them has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have resulted in the Raiders as the least entertaining and aimless franchise in the league.

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 college national championship, to manage a long slog back up the standings. He was supposed to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the possibility of being one-and-done in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another restart.

Organizational Turmoil

This is not all Brady's fault, naturally. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a turnover rate that has erased any coherent long-term vision. Nevertheless, it's Brady's influence that are all over this version of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," NFL Insider a prominent journalist said last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his chance to leave his mark on a franchise."

Brady made the key hires and set the Raiders on this directionless path. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He approved a roster plan to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a RB No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured Chip Kelly away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning offensive coordinator in the league. And he approved entrusting a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Outcomes

It has become a complete failure. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. This year's Raiders are a confused mess. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has undermined any hopes for their rookie and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring energy. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the conclusion 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 quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at RB and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also Shedeur Sanders, who may not be the permanent solution at quarterback, but who is An Answer in the short-term.

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 solid, taking what the opposition gave him and displaying flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Absence of Direction

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 ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or undergoing reconstruction. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. In spite of the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust midstream. Similar to the Browns, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the future. But only two first-year players have seen significant action. There has apparently already been tension between the coaches and the front office regarding the lack of action for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the o-line being a weak point. First-year pass catchers two young talents have combined for nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to utilize grizzled vets on the defensive side over rookies in need of experience.

Unclear Direction

What is the path forward? Will the coach return or Spytek or the quarterback? And who actually makes those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, signs off franchise-altering moves, and then disappears on side quests?

It's going to be a challenge for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. Meanwhile, other reconstructing teams have clear trajectories. The Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No core. No franchise QB. No distinctive style. No plan.

The single factor more problematic than being bad 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 use more than limited attention of it.