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

Tom Brady committed over two decades to a unwavering objective: establishing himself as the greatest quarterback in league history. He achieved that dream. Today, in his post-playing career, Brady has explored various endeavors. He serves as a broadcaster for Fox. He's involved in construction projects in the UK. He has endorsed digital assets. He's expanding the NFL to Saudi Arabia. He maintains a successful YouTube channel. He replicated his family pet. Brady's retirement ventures appear either diverse or aimless, depending on your perspective.

Secondary ventures are one thing. But overseeing a professional franchise is hardly a part-time job. In addition to his various responsibilities, Brady also serves as the de facto decision-maker for the Raiders, currently the most hapless team in the league.

The Raiders fell to 2–9 on this past weekend after suffering a decisive loss 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' offensive unit 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 year. On the defensive side, Las Vegas surrendered big plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for the majority of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a thorough domination. 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 Collection of Questionable Decisions

In fairness to Brady, he has only been involved for a year leading the team's personnel choices, becoming a minority owner of the franchise in 2024. But he was accountable for every major decision last summer, and all of them has backfired. Those decisions have left the Raiders as the most unwatchable and aimless franchise in the league.

This wasn't expected to be a multi-year rebuild. The Raiders didn't appoint 74-year-old Pete Carroll, one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a NCAA title, to oversee a long slog back up the league table. He was expected to restore the team to relevance and then hand them off with a solid foundation in place. Conversely, Carroll is facing the possibility of being fired after one season in Vegas, and the Raiders are looking at another reboot.

Organizational Dysfunction

This is not entirely Brady's responsibility, of course. Mark Davis is still the controlling stakeholder. Davis has churned through coaches and executives at a rate that would make even the New York Jets feel embarrassed. The Raiders are on their seventh head coach and fifth general manager in 15 years, a instability that has eliminated any clear strategic direction. Still, it's Brady's influence that are evident throughout this iteration of the Raiders. "This is the Tom Brady show," league reporter Tom Pelissero said last offseason. "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 made the crucial appointments and placed the Raiders on this directionless path. He appointed a close associate, his former teammate and colleague in Tampa, to serve as GM. He greenlit a team strategy to the coach's specifications, including dealing a draft selection for Smith and selecting 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 top-earning offensive coordinator in the NFL. And he approved entrusting a flaky offensive line – the bedrock for that coordinator and ball carrier – to Carroll's son.

Catastrophic Results

It's been a disaster. The previous year's Raiders were a four-win team, but they were scrappy and competitive. The current Raiders are a disorganized situation. Carroll has installed an old-fashioned defensive scheme, the quarterback looks past his prime and the Raiders' blocking unit has submarined any hopes for Ashton Jeanty and the ground attack. If nothing else, Carroll was expected to bring enthusiasm. But the Raiders were lifeless on Sunday, waiting for 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 embers of hope. Myles Garrett, now just five quarterback takedowns away from the league single-season record, leads a formidable defense. And there is positive outlook around the impressive first-year players that includes two potential stars – a dynamic runner 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.

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, accepting what the opposition gave him and displaying glimpses of improvisation. Sanders became the first Cleveland rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

Absence of Direction

Sanders and the rest of the Browns' rookie class symbolize future potential. That's a reflection the Raiders don't want to look into. Successful franchises understand their position in the ecosystem: you're either a championship candidate, a frisky playoff team, or rebuilding. Vegas entered 2025 thinking they were a couple of moves away from respectability. Despite the clear indications to the contrary, they failed to adjust during the season. Like Cleveland, Vegas should be throwing out rookies to discover what they have for the coming years. But only two first-year players have seen real playing time. There has reportedly already been disagreement between the coaching staff and the management regarding the limited playing time for two rookie offensive linemen, despite the offensive line being a sieve. First-year pass catchers two young talents have totaled nine catches in 11 games, despite the ineffectiveness in the passing game. Carroll continues to roll out grizzled vets on defense over young players in need of reps.

Uncertain Direction

What is the path forward? Will Carroll be back or the GM or Smith? And who truly decides those choices, Brady or Davis? How can a franchise function when its primary influencer participates sporadically, approves major organizational decisions, and then vanishes on side quests?

It will prove a challenge for the Raiders to improve – and they are in a division stacked with consistently successful teams. At the same time, other rebuilders have paths. The New York Jets are stocked with upcoming selections. The Titans and Giants have talented young QBs. The Raiders have nothing. No foundation. No franchise QB. No identity. No plan.

The only thing more problematic than being ineffective in the NFL is not knowing you're underperforming. The Raiders don't know where they are, what they are developing, or who will make decisions in the summer.

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