The Las Vegas Raiders revamped their front office and coaching staff this past offseason, hiring John Spytek and Pete Carroll as general manager and head coach, respectively. They attempted to retool the roster with the hopes of being a competitive team during the 2025 NFL season.
Unfortunately, that was not the case, as the team finished tied for the league's worst record at 3-14. Of course, Carroll was fired on Monday, but Spytek, who always appeared to be on a different timeline than Carroll, was retained and will look to continue building the roster in his vision this offseason.
The first-time general manager now has a season under his belt and is projected to have another 10 draft picks, including the top overall selection, and over $110 million in cap space to work with. There is one task that he should prioritize, however, after deciding on who will be Las Vegas' head coach.
John Spytek needs to make retaining Maxx Crosby an offseason priority
Spytek has plenty to do this offseason, as he must revamp the coaching staff before rebuilding a roster that has needs at nearly every position. While the head coach and quarterback combination will ultimately play a pivotal role in the team's success, another move should be prioritized as well.
The Raiders should do everything that they can to rebuild the defense, particularly the defensive line, around Maxx Crosby, enticing the superstar to stay in Las Vegas. There will be plenty of work to do, as outside of a few pieces, the defense does not have many starting-caliber players.
Bringing Eric Stokes back before the start of free agency would be a great starting point. However, the Raiders will need more upgrades on the defensive line, at linebacker, and in the secondary. Aside from Crosby and Stokes, Jeremy Chinn is the only other guaranteed plus starter heading into 2026.
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Players such as Darien Porter and Adam Butler will also factor into the defense, but neither played well enough to be guaranteed a starting role without having to fight for it. Porter showed promise in his rookie season, while Butler took a step back in 2025 after two solid seasons in a row
Several other players will be back in the fold, but they'll be forced to compete for playing time. Las Vegas does have plenty of money to spend to rebuild its defense, so if it can surround Crosby with a competent unit for the first time in his career, it would go a long way in keeping him as a Raider.
While Crosby has earned five Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections in his seven NFL seasons, he has played with only one other Pro Bowler on defense -- linebacker Denzel Perryman in 2021 -- and zero All-Pros.
Despite the lack of talent around him, he has consistently been among the game's best defensive ends, as his 69.5 sacks and 133 tackles for loss rank sixth and first, respectively, since he entered the league.
If Spytek can surround him with talent, it would make his life much easier and open things up for him, as he would receive far less defensive attention. While many believe that Crosby could ask for a trade this offseason, fixing the defense is pivotal for Las Vegas to retain the heart and soul of the team.