Raiders' 5 Most Underrated Moves Under GM John Spytek

Las Vegas has made several productive moves since Raiders General Manager John Spytek took over. The Raiders' roster has taken an undeniable step forward thanks to the big moves made. Yet some of Spytek's quieter, more subtle moves have been almost as impactful.

Drafting Caleb Rogers

The Raiders' Organized Team Activities and training camp will tell, but it appears that in his first offseason, Spytek may have drafted a starting left guard in Caleb Rogers. If Rogers is able to solidify the starting position, the Raiders got a starting offensive lineman in the third round.

This could potentially be the most underrated move of Spytek's first two offseasons.
Rogers is penciled in at right now, so this is not far away from being another successful move by Spytek. A significant one at that.

Jakobi Meyers Trade/Jalen Nailor's Contract

These two moves go hand in hand. Meyers initially signed with the Raiders, two GM hires before Spytek arrived. His first season was Meyers' final year of a three-year deal that paid him roughly $11 million per year. The veteran wanted a long-term contract at a yearly rate nearly double his salary at the time with the Raiders.

Las Vegas was unwilling to make that happen, but traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who gave him a three-year deal worth $20 million a year. Las Vegas eventually signed the younger Nailor to a contract nearly identical to the one Meyers signed with the Raiders in 2023. Spytek and the Raiders did right by Meyers and by the organization.

Sticking With Veteran DE Malcolm Koonce

Through all the movement in the Raiders' front office and among their coaching staff, Koonce has remained. This, despite a devastating injury days before the start of the 2024-25 season, was a contract season for the budding defensive end.

Las Vegas' decision to continue signing Koonce to one-year deals through multiple coaching staffs speaks volumes about their belief in him. The move will not turn many heads nationally, but keeping Koonce is a low-risk, high-reward move for Las Vegas.

Retaining, Promoting Rob Leonard

The Raiders have had their fair share of head coaches and offensive coordinators over the past four seasons. So, when Pete Carroll's coaching staff was largely wiped out, who the Raiders decided to keep was noteworthy. The most stability the Raiders had over the past four seasons was at the defensive coordinator position. However, with Patrick Graham heading to Pittsburgh, that stability was gone, too.

Spytek and the Raiders decided to retain Leonard before officially hiring Klint Kubiak. Then, Kubiak reportedly decided to promote Leonard from position coach to defensive coordinator. Both decisions will prove critical in time, but one does not happen without the other.

Quickly and Efficiently Moving on From Christian Wilkins

Spytek faced a challenge early in his tenure with the Raiders, as one of the highest-paid but least-productive players on the team, Christian Wilkins, was seemingly unable to get on the same page with the front office about his recovery from an injury that held him out of 12 of his first 17 games while on the roster, after signing a massive $100 million contract with the Raiders just months before.

Wilkins, who was signed by former Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco, and Spytek got off on the wrong foot, and things never recovered. Still, how Spytek handled everything, both privately and publicly, was noted by those in and around the organization and set the tone for how things would be handled going forward.

The fact that Wilkins, who was one of the top free agents available just two offseasons ago, still has not signed with another team lends credence to the belief that Spytek and the Raiders handled it the right way.

Spytek handled the first of many major distractions during his tenure, quickly and firmly. How he conducted business was undoubtedly noted and respected by the players in the locker room, helping establish the first layer of the rebuild he was tasked with overseeing.