Tom Brady's Part-Time Role with the Las Vegas Raiders: An Unsettling Situation

Tom Brady committed 23 NFL seasons to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the most accomplished QB in league history. He accomplished that goal. Now, in retirement, Brady has explored various pursuits. He works as a commentator for Fox. He's engaged in construction projects in the UK. He has promoted digital assets. He's spreading the NFL to the Middle East. He maintains a popular YouTube channel. He even cloned his family pet. Brady's post-career activities appear either diverse or aimless, based on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a NFL team is not a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady functions as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the least successful team in the NFL.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after enduring a decisive loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders didn't just lose; they were embarrassed by a struggling team with a quarterback making his professional debut. The Raiders' offense averaged less than three yards per play before garbage-time plays in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was tackled 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any franchise this season. On defense, Las Vegas allowed big plays to a Cleveland offensive unit that has been ineffective for most of the campaign. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. At least Brady didn't have to witness it. The architect 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, becoming a minority owner of the organization in 2024. But he was responsible for every significant move last summer, and each one has proven unsuccessful. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the least entertaining and directionless team in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a lengthy reconstruction. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, among a select group 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 relevance and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is staring at the possibility 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, naturally. Mark Davis is still the majority owner. Davis has cycled through head coaches and executives at a speed that would make even the Jets blush. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth GM in 15 years, a instability 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 a prominent journalist commented last offseason. "He's been deeply engaged," Carroll said of Brady at his introductory news conference in January. "This is his opportunity to put his stamp on a franchise."

Brady was responsible for the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this rudderless course. He hired a close associate, his college buddy and co-worker in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a roster plan to the coach's specifications, including dealing a third-round pick for Smith and drafting a running back No 6 overall despite having a bottom-tier offensive line. He recruited an offensive innovator away from the college ranks, making him the highest-paid OC in the league. And he signed off on handing a unreliable offensive line – the foundation for that coach and ball carrier – to the coach's family member.

Disastrous Results

It's been a disaster. Last season's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were competitive and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has implemented an outdated defensive philosophy, Smith looks washed and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. At the very least, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were uninspired on Sunday, counting down the plays to the end of the game.

The difference with Cleveland was pronounced. The situation often seems dire with the Browns, but there are glimmers of optimism. Their star defender, now just five sacks away from the NFL single-season record, leads a dominant defensive unit. And there is positive outlook around the stellar-looking first-year players that includes multiple promising talents – Quinshon Judkins at running back and a skilled defender at LB. There is also Shedeur Sanders, 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' defense, but Sanders demonstrated that the NFL level was not too big for him. With a full week to prepare, he was effective, taking what the opposition gave him and showing flashes of creativity. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his debut game since 1995.

Lack of Vision

The rookie quarterback and his classmates of the Browns' first-year players symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders should avoid. Successful franchises recognize their position in the ecosystem: you're either a contender, a competitive squad, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a few adjustments away from competitiveness. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they haven't pivoted during the season. Similar to the Browns, 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 tension between the coaching staff and the management regarding the lack of action 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 aerial attack. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over rookies in need of experience.

Uncertain Future

What is the future direction? Will the coach return or Spytek or Smith? And who truly decides those decisions, Brady or Davis? How can a team function when its most powerful decision-maker logs in occasionally, signs off major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on other projects?

It's going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get better – and they are in a division stacked with perennial playoff contenders. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with future draft picks. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No quarterback. No identity. No plan.

The single factor more problematic than being bad in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will call the shots in the offseason.

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