There's going to be a lot of new faces in the building for the Las Vegas Raiders next season.
That is what happens when the owner decides to clean house after a 4-13 season. Mark Davis elevated minority owner Tom Brady, as well as several others, into a committee to decide on the Raiers' future, and starting fresh was deemed to be the most beneficial for an ever-struggling franchise.
Their first move in a series of organizational changes was to make John Spytek the next general manager.
Spytek, a former teammate of Brady and trusted executive for nine seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, began filling out the rest of his staff with the following move today:
The #Raiders are hiring #Broncos executive Mark Thewes as their Senior Vice President of Football Operations and Strategy, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 4, 2025
Thewes spent the previous 16 seasons with the #Broncos, most recently as VP of Football Operations and Compliance. pic.twitter.com/0tZOMa15YQ
The two worked together when Spytek was a scout for the Broncos from 2013-2015, and they will reunite in Las Vegas as members of the Raiders.
With 23 years of NFL experience, the last 16 with the Denver Broncos, Mark Thewes knows the landscape of the league, and especially the AFC West, very well.
Oftentimes, fans do not even know all of their own executives, let alone those on other teams. A good indication of what kind of person the Raiders are getting is seeing how upset several people in Broncos circles are, especially this reporter for 9 News:
Per source, Broncos are losing do-everything administrator Mark Thewes to Raiders. To show what Broncos felt about Thewes, he was hired as Josh McDaniels right-hand man in 2009, yet he was kept around long after McDaniels was dismissed late in 2010. He will be missed. #9sports
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) February 4, 2025
Thewes was a staple in the Broncos' organization for seasons on end, through good and bad. He saw them at their height, winning a Super Bowl in 2015 alongside Spytek, and remained an integral part of their front office as the team fought their way out of the gutter in the AFC West.
Now, the Broncos are seemingly set up well for the future and Thewes is taking a promotion in Las Vegas. Not only should this move help the Raiders, but it could hurt the Broncos, which is a win in and of itself.