The most successful quarterback of all-time approached his playing career with ruthless focus. He could do with the same intensity in his retirement projects
T
om Brady played for 23 NFL seasons with a single, maniacal goal: to become the greatest quarterback who ever lived. He achieved it. Now, in retirement, Brady has dabbled in everything. He calls games for Fox. He’s building chimneys in Birmingham. He’s flogged crypto. He’s spreading America’s Game to Riyadh. He has a thriving YouTube account. He cloned his dog. Brady’s post-playing portfolio has been diverse, or aimless, depending on your perspective.
Side hustles are one thing. But running a pro franchise is not a part-time job. Along with his other roles, Brady is also the de facto football czar of the Raiders, the most hapless team in the league.
The Raiders dropped to 2–9 on Sunday after being waxed 24-10 by the Browns. The Raiders didn’t just lose; they were embarrassed by a bad team with a quarterback making his first NFL start. The Raiders’ offense averaged 2.9 yards a play before garbage time in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith was sacked 10 times and was pressured 46 times, a single-game high for any team this season. On defense, Las Vegas gifted up chunk plays to a Cleveland offense that has been dysfunctional for most of the season. Any way you slice it, it was a beatdown. At least Brady didn’t have to watch. The architect of the latest Vegas mess was sitting in Dallas on the Fox broadcast for Eagles-Cowboys.
