John Spytek spoke publicly for the first time since the NFL combine on Thursday, and a lot has changed in the world of the Las Vegas Raiders since then. He addressed many topics, with his comments on the failed Maxx Crosby trade garnering the most attention, naturally.
The Raiders' young general manager also gave some hints as to his approach for the rest of free agency and the draft, not promising too many big moves for the fan base to get excited about. Of course, he also spoke on the massive haul he was able to bring in during the first wave of free agency.
In his second offseason in the role, Spytek has received plenty of praise for the work he has done to improve the roster. During his silence-breaking interview, he detailed the process that went into each of Las Vegas' free agent decisions.
John Spytek discusses the Raiders' free agent class
This year's splash signing was, of course, former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, who they signed to a record-setting three-year, $81 million contract that includes $60 million in guaranteed money.
Spytek appeared on Raiders Podcast Network with JT the Brick, where he discussed locking down the top offensive lineman on the market.
"It was a unique situation with him not getting his fifth-year option picked up. And that happens with centers, in particular, just because of the way the contract in the fifth-year option looks," Spytek explained. "That was a guy that we targeted early ... with a player of that caliber, a lot of times, those guys get (deals) done before free agency starts. And he didn't. So, once it was clear he was going to hit the market, we made our best offer. We had a lot of great conversations with Klint (Kubiak) and the coaching staff and how important the center is in this offense that we're going to run, and, particularly, a player of his caliber and his traits. And, so, we tried to make him an offer he couldn't refuse."
Spytek did exactly that, as not only was Linderbaum's deal the highest average annual value ever received by a center at $27 million, it shattered the previous mark of $18 million. He noted that the front office went back to their college evaluations on the three-time Pro Bowler and his character.
Next, he turned his attention to Jalen Nailor, who received a three-year, $35 million deal that includes $23 million in guarantees.
"I don't know if (his addition) is going to change (how the offense is run), other than we were trying to find a good player at that position. We were young there last year. He's more of a proven vet," Spytek said. "And I think the cool thing about him is he really was the fourth option (with the Minnesota Vikings) when you look at the two receivers they have -- both first-round picks, both excellent players -- and then the tight end they have there, too. And whenever he was asked to produce, whenever he had to step in if those guys were dinged up or whatever in Minnesota, he performed and he's got a lot of the traits we look for in a wide receiver. He's a great kid."
While Nailor was considered an overpay by some pundits, he has the opportunity to breakout as he steps into a bigger role in Las Vegas. Spytek's attention then shifted to the defense, where the biggest moves came in the revamped linebacker room.
The Raiders, intentionally or not, reunited college teammates Nakobe Dean (three years, $36 million with $23 million guaranteed) and Quay Walker (three years, $40.5 million with $28 million guaranteed), both former Georgia Bulldogs.
Spytek revealed what went into the two additions, which should give the Raiders their most formidable linebacker core in a very long time.
"It was interesting because it kind of came to a head at the same time. We were able to Zoom with Nakobe with the new rules this year. That was important to him. I wasn't surprised that he wanted to do that, knowing how thoughtful and thorough of a person he is. And we stayed in touch with Quay's guys, too. And it just kind of happened at the same time," Spytek said. "They both started to show a lot of interest in coming here, which, I think, to our group, was really a cool thing. I mean, when people start to seek you out a little bit and think, 'Hey, it's the Silver and Black and the Raiders and Las Vegas, this is where I want to go,' that's a neat thing to be a part of. And we had some quick but strategic discussions about could we pull this off, would it make sense, how would we play it, how would we play them in the scheme, conversations with the coaching staff. And in a matter of like 15 or 20 minutes, it felt like, they both made commitments to come join us here."
Spytek added that linebackers in today's game need to be able to run, as well as play in nickel and dime formations. He noted that both Dean and Walker can cover, play sideline to sideline, and get after the quarterback, while also being the right culture fits for what he and Kubiak are building.
The general manager then turned his attention to Malcolm Koonce, who was re-signed on a one-year, $11 million deal that included $10.5 million in guaranteed money.
"With Malcolm, obviously, coming off the ACL injury in the previous season, in '24, you always expect those to take a little bit of time. Even if they're totally healthy, a lot of those guys have talked about the mental block. They got to get over the hump. And, I think, we started to see that with Malcolm in the second half of the year and really in December, where he kind of hit a stride and you kind of got to see the Malcolm Koonce, I think, that we were all used to seeing," Spytek noted. "I probably let too many good players walk out of the building last year, and we were determined not to let that happen this year. And, so, we got to talking to Malcolm and his representatives, and we felt like there was a deal in place that made a lot of sense to bring him back."
Spytek addressed the last big money addition to last year's roster next, discussing former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye, who signed a three-year, $48 million contract that included $31.3 million in guarantees.
"With Kwity, I had to balance, for my own psyche, the Michigan State (signing of Nailor), so we had to get a Michigan man in here," Spytek joked. "But Kwity's been a guy we've all had a lot of respect for, going back to his Michigan days. He was a first-round pick. He's tough. He's violent. He's physical. He does things the right way. He's had good production in his career. He's a great teammate. And we were just trying to add good players at a premium position. And we were excited that Malcolm came back and Kwity joined us."
Finally, Spytek addressed the return of Eric Stokes, who turned a one-year prove-it deal last offseason into a three-year, $30 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
"Just a really, super professional approach from Eric. Detailed about the right things. I'd see him in the cafeteria studying film when guys were hanging out. Not that guys can't hang out, but just very intentional with his process, with his practice prep," Spytek revealed. "One of the things that we were curious to see last year, because he had an injury history in Green Bay, was could he stay healthy. And he played 16 games last year, too, and that was good to see. And when he was asked to cover, he covered. And there weren't a lot of balls that went his way, which, when you're a good cornerback, you don't get a lot of balls thrown your way. And we just wanted, at an important position and maybe one that we were a little bit thin at, we couldn't let Eric Stokes walk out the building."
While many were skeptical about Spytek's vision in his first season as the Raiders' general manager, it is hard for anyone to argue that he is now building things the right way. As his vision becomes clearer in Year 2, he was able to use free agency to zero in on young, talented players with strong character.
There is still plenty of work to do, as the results on the field will matter more than any offseason haul. Still, if he can hit a home run in the draft as he did in free agency, it shouldn't be long before Raider Nation finally sees the franchise turn things around.