Raiders' John Spytek opens up about working relationship with Tom Brady after Pete Carroll dismissal

In the same statement that Las Vegas Raiders principal owner Mark Davis released to confirm that the club had parted ways with head coach Pete Carroll, Davis revealed that "general manager John Spytek will lead all football operations in close collaboration with" Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. 

Later on Monday, Spytek discussed his working relationship with Brady.

John Spytek has had "discussions and disagreements" with Tom Brady

"We see football similar," Spytek said about Brady, per Levi Edwards of the Raiders' website. "We don't see it the same. We have plenty of discussions and disagreements, and I'm not afraid to tell him that. I think that's kind of why he likes me. But I do believe that we see things similar, and we've both had a lot of success seeing it that way, and I think we know what we're after, and it's up to us now to go find it."

Brady's deal with the Raiders was approved in the fall of 2024, and some have said he has essentially been "running" the team's football operations since before Spytek was hired in January 2025. The two were previously teammates at the University of Michigan, and Spytek was an executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Brady earned Super Bowl LV Most Valuable Player Award honors while serving as Tampa Bay's starting quarterback. 

More recently, a report said that Brady "is being treated by Mark Davis as the de facto boss when it comes to football matters." Unsurprisingly, Spytek neither confirmed nor denied that's the case. 

"I've been here a year now, I've got to know MD [Mark Davis], ownership," Spytek added. "I know what the expectations are. I've got to know the building, I think, really well, and we've got a plan in place, and we're going to start working on it. The goal is constant, meticulous improvement so that this organization and the Raider Nation can be proud when they walk into Allegiant Stadium."

John Spytek assigns blame for Raiders' 3-14 season

The Raiders dismissed Carroll after he went 3-14 in his first season with the organization. On Monday, Spytek accepted blame for all that went wrong for the club over the past handful of months. 

"This isn't on any one person, and really, I don't want anyone to think that anyone deserves more responsibility than me, and that it's something I'm very aware of," Spytek explained. "I think about all the time and am determined to get right. The accountability should start and stop with me, and that needs to be said."

It's unclear if Brady has Spytek on the hot seat this winter. Meanwhile, Brady may want Spytek to hire Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores as the Raiders' next head coach.