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Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek.

After John Spytek’s first season as the Las Vegas Raiders‘ general manager, there was concern he could get fired. The team fired Tom Telesco after one season and only gave Dave Ziegler a season and a half before firing him.

However, the Raiders seemingly placed the blame for the failure that was the 2025 season on Pete Carroll, who did get fired after going 3-14. Though Spytek survived and put together a very strong offseason, he still has a lot to prove before he gets respect from the NFL media.

NBC Sports’ Patrick Daugherty ranked every general manager in the NFL and had Spytek all the way down at No. 26.

“Being a general manager is hard enough,” Daugherty wrote. “Now try doing it when you’re in Las Vegas and your boss lives in Florida. Oh, and he has two jobs. That’s John Spytek’s world, as Tom Brady has finally found someone else to haunt beyond the sports talk radio hosts of Boston, for whom it will always be 2019. Maybe Brady is a peach to work for and the whole thing is overblown, but Spytek is working for him. He has to answer to ownership and the game’s pre-eminent living legend. You could see why this thing wasn’t exactly a Ferrari coming out of the garage last season. Spytek is already on his second head coach, as well as his second quarterback.”

Spytek Has Better Chance to Look Good in 2026

There’s an argument that Spytek should be higher. Last offseason wasn’t a great look in hindsight, but the move to trade for Geno Smith was widely praised at the time. He was also able to get Maxx Crosby a new contract.

That said, his best case for being higher on the list has been this offseason. He was key in the hiring of head coach Klint Kubiak and put together strong free agent and draft classes. Daugherty does think he’s in a better position to succeed.

“In Spytek, Brady or whomever’s defense, the second choices in Klint Kubiak and Fernando Mendoza seem much better than last year’s Pete Carroll/Geno Smith pairing,” Daugherty wrote. “Beyond Mendoza, the Silver and Black had a deep, varied 2026 draft class. Inexplicably, they’ve even gotten a second lease on life with disgruntled defensive linchpin Maxx Crosby, as the superstar pass rusher has returned to the team following his Ravens jilting. (A trade remains possible, or even likely.) Rarely will you see a front office get off to a worse start. Even more rare is the steady bounce-back footing the Raiders find themselves on this offseason.”

Spytek Still Has A Lot to Prove

Spytek’s offseason has looked very good, but none of that matters if the Raiders don’t start winning. If the team has another three-win year and most of his signings and draft picks disappoint, it’s going to be difficult for him to keep his job.

Things are looking a lot better, but things also looked better last offseason. Now that Spytek is free of Carroll, who is known to meddle with roster decisions, we’ll get a better look at what kind of team the general manager wants to build this season. Time will tell if it’s the type of team that can get the Raiders back in the playoffs.