NFL News: John Spytek, Raiders Reportedly Finalizing GM Contract After Telesco Exit

Posted by author January 22, 2025 NFL

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Looking for a fresh start, the Las Vegas Raiders have landed on John Spytek to be their next general manager.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager is finalizing an agreement with the team.

Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter

John Spytek and Tom Brady both played at Michigan in 1999, then were together in Tampa when Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title. Now they join forces again in Las Vegas. https://t.co/s8uKsj0KiW

This marks the second straight offseason the Raiders went through a search for a new head coach and general manager. Last year, they opted to retain Antonio Pierce as head coach after he had a successful stint in an interim role.

The Raiders surprised many by going with former Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, who was fired by L.A. late in the 2023 season after a 63-21 loss to Vegas, to be their GM in 2024.

Neither decision wound up working out, as the Raiders finished last in the AFC West with a 4-13 record. Both Telesco and Pierce were fired by the team shortly after the end of the regular season.

The Athletic’s Tashan Reed noted the Raiders initially planned to keep Telesco, but the opportunity “to start with a clean slate” by having a new coach and GM on the same timeline proved to be appealing.

Even though the Telesco era was brief and largely unsuccessful, he did nail his only first-round pick by selecting Brock Bowers with the No. 13 selection in the 2024 draft. The 22-year-old became the fourth tight end in NFL history to earn All-Pro first-team honors as a rookie.

There aren’t many foundational pieces currently on the roster in Vegas, but Bowers is certainly one. Maxx Crosby could be another one, but he hasn’t sounded thrilled about the constant coach and front-office turnover.

It could also be more beneficial for Spytek to trade a player of immense value like Crosby, who could bring back multiple first-round picks, to accelerate the timeline of this latest rebuild.

Regardless of everything else the Raiders do, they have to figure out an answer at quarterback. They’re already in a difficult position playing in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid; Los Angeles Chargers with Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh; and Denver Broncos with Bo Nix and Sean Payton.

The Raiders have had seven different quarterbacks start a game since the 2022 season, including five over the past two years after releasing Derek Carr in February 2023.

Spytek has a difficult task ahead of him to get the Raiders back on track, but hopefully he will be given some time to at least see their plan through for an organization that has lacked stability for a long time.

The Raiders are getting someone with a wealth of NFL knowledge and experience to run their front office.

Spytek has been working in the league for 21 seasons since he was hired as an operations intern by the Detroit Lions in 2004. He’s had jobs with five different organizations ranging from an intern to pro scout to director of college scouting.

The most recent job for Spytek was as assistant general manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the past two seasons. He was in the Bucs front office when Tom Brady joined the team in 2020.

Fixing the Raiders is a monumental task, but Spytek has a strong track record of team building from his eight seasons with the Bucs.