Analyst says John Spytek is already feeling the heat

The blame game is in full swing for the Las Vegas Raiders, who are in complete freefall with a 1-4 start to the season.

Much of the fault has been placed at the feet of quarterback Geno Smith, who has gone from quarterback savior to goat in the eyes of Raiders fans in the span of about seven months. In fairness, it is not difficult to see why, seeing as though Smith currently leads the league with nine interceptions. If things do not improve against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the Raiders may have no choice but to make the decision to move off of the veteran.

However, while Smith has not done himself any favors, others have looked in the direction of the regime that brought him to Las Vegas in the first place.

One member of the Raiders braintrust is now being placed under fire for his work in assembling the Raiders.

In his article about the hottest seats in the NFL before the trade deadline, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox placed Smith at the top of the list, but also placed Raiders general manager John Spytek at No. 7.

“The reality is that Las Vegas has looked like a worse team than it was a year ago despite undergoing a substantial offseason overhaul. Head coach Pete Carroll hasn’t provided the disciplined, winning culture most expected he would. General manager John Spytek took some bold swings in the offseason but has seemingly assembled one of the league’s weakest rosters,” wrote Knox.

When Spytek arrived in Las Vegas from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March, many believed Spytek’s championship pedigree and ties to Tom Brady would help get his vision on the football field.

Unfortunately, Spytek’s roster has left a lot to be desired in the early going. Smith deal aside, very few of his moves in either free agency or the draft have panned out so far.

As far as his replacement goes, Knox lists someone who can serve in the interim as well.

“Carroll could be a one-and-done head coach, but a pivot away from Spytek is probably even more likely. Assistant GM Brian Stark, who previously served as Denver’s director of college scouting, could fill the role on an interim basis while the Raiders search for a new GM—presumably, another with ties to minority owner Tom Brady,” Knox continued.

All of this being said, it is unlikely that the Raiders jettison Spytek after just one year on the job.

The obvious reason is that it is a terrible look for a team to move off of two entire regimes in as many seasons. The Raiders already have the reputation of being a revolving door at both head coach and general manager, and this would only reinforce that.

It is hard to envision Spytek as a one-and-done general manager, but the pressure would be on to produce a more respectable unit if he stays on for 2026.