1 Critical Connection Raiders GM Spytek Will Depend On

The Las Vegas Raiders will be filled with new faces along their coaching staff and roster this upcoming season. The changes Las Vegas has made this offseason warrant a legitimate belief that they will take a step forward in 2026, even if only marginally. Yet, they still have moves to make.

A Look Ahead

The Raiders' front office has searched for ways to improve in ways that are tangible and intangible. The roster moves they have made and will make in the draft are measurable changes. However, moves like signing Kirk Cousins will impact them off the field as much as on it.

Las Vegas' turnaround will require everyone to do their part at a high level, consistently. Raiders general manager John Spytek recently explained the approach he took during his first season at the helm, noting that he wants to be as much a part of the daily ebb and flow as possible.

“I don't like being confined to a press box or to a small area. I don't like sitting during football games. It feels unnatural to me. I like being in the arena. I miss that about my playing days, and so to be on the field and kind of feel some of the emotions and the highs and the lows, they're fulfilling to me,” Spytek said.

"And I just love being around the guys and having them feel like I got some skin in the game too. And I think you can learn a lot about people in those moments, too, and I think hopefully they can learn a lot about me. But it feels unnatural to me to sit up top and be away from it, even though sometimes that's where I end up."

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek (right) is interviewed by Raiders.com senior writer Eddie Paskal on radio row during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders' Blueprint

Las Vegas must be connected from the top down, as they look to rebuild from the ground up. The Raiders still have a long way to go, as their roster entered the offseason in need of an overhaul. A strong free agency helped get the ball rolling. They aim to follow that up with a solid draft haul.

Raiders assistant general manager Brian Stark explained how productive the 2025 season was for him personally, as he learned from Spytek. Stark's first season with the Raiders was a crash course in many ways. It gave him the chance to become even more well-versed than he already was.

“For me, it was invaluable, especially being my first season here, and the opportunity to, like Spy [John Spytek] said, to be invested with the players on game day, to be down there on the sideline and see those sideline interactions, be able to be more involved with them,” Stark said.

“You get to see who people really are in those intense situations. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I feel like it allows you to create a different relationship with the players and a better understanding of who they are and what they're going through."

Spytek and the Raiders will need all hands on deck during the upcoming NFL Draft. Spytek may be the one who makes the call, but he will be the first to acknowledge the team of people behind him, helping with the process. Las Vegas' turnaround will depend on its ability to draft correctly.

As Spytek enters his second draft as a general manager, he does so with 10 picks, including the top pick in the draft. After securing a workhorse running back with his first pick last season, Spytek, Stark, and the Raiders will add their quarterback of the future. They have nowhere to go but up.

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