John Spytek had a fairly quiet offseason in his first year as an NFL general manager. The Las Vegas Raiders did make a few splash moves like trading for Geno Smith and extending him, but outside of that, the Silver and Black spent most of their money in-house.
Maxx Crosby earned a historic extension worth up to $35.5 million per year, other veterans like Kolton Miller and A.J. Cole received nice salary bumps and got job security for a few years, and a handful of pending free agents got to stay in Las Vegas. But not much money was spent outside the building.
Still, in a 3-14 campaign like the one that the Raiders had during the 2025 NFL season, a general manager is hardly going to feel like they got their money's worth. Let's take a look at a handful of players who didn't live up to their contracts and fleeced Las Vegas this past year.
These Raiders didn't live up to their contracts in 2025
1. Geno Smith
Smith made just north of $40 million in what is likely to be his lone season in the Silver and Black. Talk about a heist. He's guaranteed to make $18.5 million next year as well, which is highway robbery for someone who led the league in interceptions and sacks taken.
2. Malcolm Koonce
Koonce showed promise in 2023 before missing the entire 2024 season. Spytek re-signed Koonce on a one-year deal worth just over $11 million in hopes that he would return to his previous form. But Koonce recorded just 4.5 sacks this year and had a nine-game stretch where he had zero.
3. Isaiah Pola-Mao
Pola-Mao earned a modest two-year, $7.45 million extension this offseason with the expectation that he would grow into a plus starter. But he took a massive step back in Pete Carroll's system. Pola-Mao also missed 21 tackles and gave up five touchdowns in 2025, so it was a rough campaign.
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4. Alex Cappa
Cappa signed a two-year deal worth $11 million, and fans immediately knew that this was throwing money down the drain. While he actually turned into a serviceable center down the stretch, Spytek paid Cappa starter money to primarily be a backup and make no real impact.
5. Kenny Pickett
Pickett was acquired for the price of a fifth-round pick. Although he didn't cost much in terms of dollars and cents, Spytek likely wishes he could have that early Day 3 pick back. Pickett will probably leave in free agency after a failed backup tenure in Las Vegas.