The Las Vegas Raiders are spiraling into chaos, hitting rock bottom with a dismal 2-9 record after a humiliating 24-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns on November 23. In a swift and shocking move that same night, the team axed offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, signaling a desperate attempt to salvage what’s left of a season already in ruins. With no playoff hopes in sight and only the faint glimmer of a top draft pick to cling to, the Raiders find themselves lost in NFL purgatory as they limp toward the 2026 campaign.
The franchise’s woes run deep: no promising quarterback on the roster, and no surefire way to snag a game-changer in the draft unless they tank hard enough for the coveted No. 1 spot. Add an aging head coach in Pete Carroll to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. But amid the finger-pointing, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio is zeroing in on an unlikely culprit—legendary quarterback Tom Brady, the team’s minority owner, who’s now facing the heat for his behind-the-scenes meddling.
“I’m just going to say this: The heat, the pressure, and the focus are going to be more and more on Tom Brady because Mark Davis is doing whatever he tells him,” Florio declared on the November 24 episode of Pro Football Talk Live. He didn’t mince words, holding Brady accountable for the Raiders’ freefall. “Brady is partially responsible for the current state of the team. He was involved in the hiring of Pete Carroll. He was involved in the hiring of Chip Kelly. He was involved in the decision to make Geno Smith the quarterback.”
Tom Brady: From Gridiron Hero to Front-Office Villain?
Brady’s role extends beyond ownership; he’s juggling NFL color commentary gigs with FOX Sports while dipping his toes into team-building. But Florio isn’t buying any excuses for the seven-time Super Bowl champ’s offseason blunders, especially as the Raiders’ 2025 season crumbles before our eyes.
“It’s just not working,” Florio continued, his tone laced with frustration. “That’s the thing, Tom. You want to do this, but you can’t clone yourself—one to be the Raiders owner, the other to work for FOX. If this doesn’t work, the blame falls on you. Nobody else, Tom, you’re taking the blame. It’s not working, and it’s splashing onto you. So don’t act like you’ve got a bunch of other things to do or that you’ve delegated. No, it’s on you if this team continues to stink.”
Brady’s fingerprints are all over this mess, and with the Raiders floundering, the spotlight is intensifying. Fans and analysts alike are questioning whether the GOAT’s golden touch translates to the executive suite—or if his divided attention is dooming the Silver and Black to mediocrity.
Shannon Sharpe Unleashes on Chip Kelly’s Short-Lived Reign
The firing of Kelly after just 11 games sent shockwaves through the league, but Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe wasted no time delivering a scorching takedown. On the November 23 episode of Night Cap, Sharpe ripped into Kelly’s ill-fated tenure, highlighting how the high-profile hire—rumored to be the highest-paid OC in football—fizzled spectacularly.
“[The Raiders] paid a lot of money,” Sharpe blasted. “They made him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in football. Alright, now let him go. If that works, you go back to college. You can have a great career in college.”
Sharpe’s ire peaked when he called out Kelly for meddling with proven players’ techniques, a move that backfired badly. “If that works, but you go ahead and try to change guys that have been doing stuff there [for their football career]. Because remember, the first thing he did [was] ask Ashton Jeanty to put his hands on his side. The man had been standing up [his] whole [football career].”
As the dust settles on this latest Raiders debacle, one thing is clear: the path to redemption is steep. With Brady in the crosshairs and the team eyeing a rebuild, Las Vegas must navigate this storm—or risk sinking even deeper into irrelevance. Will the GOAT step up and fix his mess, or is this the beginning of the end for the Raiders’ star-studded experiment? Only time will tell, but the pressure is mounting, and the NFL world is watching.