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

Tom Brady dedicated 23 NFL seasons to a singular objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in NFL history. He achieved that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has ventured into numerous endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for a major network. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding American football to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's retirement activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your viewpoint.

Side projects are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto football leader for the Las Vegas franchise, currently the least successful team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on Sunday after enduring a 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a QB making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before meaningless action in the final period. Their quarterback was sacked 10 times and faced pressure 46 times, a season record for any team this year. On defense, Las Vegas allowed significant gains to a Cleveland offense that has been ineffective for most of the season. However you analyze it, it was a thorough domination. Fortunately Brady didn't have to watch. The architect 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 been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, after becoming a partial stakeholder of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and each one has backfired. Those moves have resulted in the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't hire veteran coach Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a championship and a college national championship, to oversee a protracted process back up the standings. He was expected to restore the team to competitiveness and then hand them off with a solid foundation 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 Dysfunction

This is not all Brady's fault, of course. The majority owner is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has cycled through coaches and front-office heads at a rate 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 erased 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," league reporter Tom Pelissero commented last summer. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll stated of Brady at his first press 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 rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his former teammate and co-worker in Tampa, to act as general manager. He greenlit a team strategy to Carroll's preference, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and selecting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He lured an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the top-earning OC in the NFL. And he approved handing a flaky offensive line – the foundation for that coordinator and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Catastrophic Outcomes

It has become a disaster. Last season'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 philosophy, the quarterback looks washed and the Raiders' offensive line has undermined any aspirations for Ashton Jeanty and the run game. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, waiting for 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. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the NFL all-time mark, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive rookie class that includes multiple promising talents – a dynamic runner at RB and Carson Schwesinger at linebacker. There is also the rookie QB, who may not be the permanent solution at QB, but who is An Answer in the immediate future.

Granted, it was facing the Raiders' defensive unit, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not overwhelming for him. With a full week to get ready, he was solid, taking what the defense gave him and showing flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995.

Lack of Vision

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize promise. That's a mirror the Raiders should avoid. Good organizations understand their situation in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas began the season believing they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be playing young players to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two rookies have seen significant action. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaching staff 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 combined for nine receptions in 11 games, despite the lack of spark in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out experienced veterans on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or the GM or the quarterback? And who actually makes those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves franchise-altering moves, and then vanishes on other projects?

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 rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Tennessee and New York have promising young quarterbacks. The Raiders have little to build upon. No foundation. No quarterback. No distinctive style. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're bad. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are building, or who will call the shots in the summer.

Tom Brady once excelled at football through ruthless focus. The Raiders could benefit from more than limited attention of it.