Las Vegas Raiders’ 2025 Season Spirals as Calls for Tom Brady’s Role Intensify

The Las Vegas Raiders entered the 2025 season with a sense of cautious optimism. A new regime led by Pete Carroll in the front office and John Spytek as general manager was supposed to signal a culture shift. Add in Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, Geno Smith under center, and Tom Brady as a minority owner, and there was a belief that the Silver and Black were finally turning the page.

Instead, the story has unraveled fast-and ugly.

The Raiders haven’t just failed to meet expectations; they’ve regressed. What was supposed to be a fresh start has turned into a season of chaos and confusion.

The offense is sputtering, the defense remains inconsistent, and the team as a whole looks further away from contention than it did a year ago. The optimism that surrounded the franchise this past offseason has given way to frustration, finger-pointing, and a whole lot of questions about what comes next.

A Team-Wide Breakdown

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a case of one or two things going wrong. It’s systemic.

From the front office to the coaching staff to the players on the field, the Raiders have been outmatched, outcoached, and outperformed. The Chip Kelly experiment hasn’t paid off, and Geno Smith hasn’t looked like the answer at quarterback.

There’s no single scapegoat here-this is a collective failure. And perhaps most concerning of all, there’s no obvious fix in sight.

The roster lacks foundational talent, and the few promising pieces aren’t enough to build around. The team is staring down a long rebuild, and it’s unclear who’s truly steering the ship.

Stephen A. Smith Throws Tom Brady Into the Fire

Enter Stephen A. Smith, who added fuel to the fire with a bold suggestion on First Take.

His take? Hand over football operations to Tom Brady.

“They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the Raiders are so awful right now that the stench has circulated throughout the country,” Smith said. “Put Tom Brady in charge, Mark Davis. Just hand over football operations to Tom Brady.”

It was classic Stephen A.-blunt, dramatic, and polarizing. But it also struck a nerve.

Brady, widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time, is a part-owner of the Raiders. But ownership and operations are two very different roles. Smith’s proposal to let Brady run the show might sound appealing to some fans desperate for a turnaround, but it’s not that simple.

Great Players Don’t Always Make Great Executives

Brady’s football résumé is unmatched, but being a generational talent on the field doesn’t automatically make someone a front-office savant. That’s not a knock on Brady-it’s just the reality of how different those jobs are.

We’ve seen this before. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, struggled to find success as the decision-maker for the Charlotte Hornets. The skill set required to dominate as an athlete doesn’t always translate to running a franchise.

Brady’s role as a minority owner gives him a seat at the table, not the head of it. And with his current broadcasting deal at FOX Sports reportedly paying north of $37 million, he’s not exactly in a position to take on a full-time executive role-even if he wanted to.

What the Raiders Really Need

The Raiders don’t need a flashy power shift. They need a plan.

They need to identify the right head coach to lead a rebuild, and they need to give John Spytek the runway to implement his vision. That’s how sustainable turnarounds happen in the NFL.

This season has shown that coaching hires can change a team’s trajectory fast. Just look at what’s happened elsewhere around the league.

The Patriots, Jaguars, and Bears were all bottom-feeders last year, finishing with a combined record of 13-38. After hiring Mike Vrabel, Liam Coen, and Ben Johnson, those same teams are now playoff contenders with double-digit wins.

But here’s the catch: all three of those teams also had young, highly drafted quarterbacks to build around. The Raiders don’t.

Geno Smith has had moments, but he’s not the long-term answer. That’s why the 2026 NFL Draft looms large.

Las Vegas is in prime position to land the No. 1 overall pick. If that happens, the pressure to nail that selection-and the next coaching hire-will be immense.

That’s the real pivot point for this franchise. Get those decisions right, and they can start building something.

Get them wrong, and the cycle of mediocrity continues.

Brady’s Role Moving Forward

Tom Brady should absolutely have a voice in the room. His experience, leadership, and understanding of the game are invaluable. But giving him full control of football operations without a track record in that area would be a risky move for a franchise that can’t afford another misstep.

The Raiders don’t need a savior. They need structure.

They need vision. And they need patience.

This rebuild won’t be fixed by handing the keys to a legendary quarterback. It’ll be fixed by making smart, calculated decisions-starting with who leads the team on the sideline and who lines up under center.

Until then, Raider Nation will have to weather the storm.