When John Spytek was hired as the general of the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason, he wasn't given much to work with. Between an aging head coach who exerted too much influence on the team's moves and a bare bones roster, the first-year decision-maker was up against it.
But Spytek has found his stride this offseason, proving that he can make excellent moves working in conjunction with the team's new head coach, Klint Kubiak. The Raiders still have a long way to go, but Spytek isn't operating as if he has to win this year. He's simply setting the gears of success in motion.
Not many of Las Vegas' free agents landed elsewhere, nor were they re-signed by Spytek and Kubiak, which goes to show that last year's roster wasn't exactly the most talented. As such, ESPN's "biggest losses" for the Raiders are a paradox, because they aren't really losses at all.
Raiders' 'biggest offseason losses' aren't actually losses at all
ESPN's NFL Nation crew recently went through and detailed the biggest additions and losses for each of the 32 teams in the league. For the Raiders, funny enough, their "biggest losses" were Geno Smith, Dylan Parham and Daniel Carlson.
Those aren't exactly losses.
Smith, for one, was arguably the league's worst quarterback in 2025, leading the NFL in both interceptions thrown and sacks taken. Spytek actually chose to trade him away, so it's not like he left for greener pastures in free agency or anything. Losing him is essentially a positive.
Carlson didn't leave for elsewhere, either. The Raiders chose to sign another veteran kicker, Matt Gay, instead. While he is somewhat of a legendary figure, or at least a fan favorite in Las Vegas, Carlson's production has taken significant hits over the years, and reached an all-time low last season.
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Losing Parham, however, is fair to categorize as a loss. He started practically every game for the Silver and Black over the last four years, and although Parham was never an elite player, the Raiders could do far worse. Luckily, Caleb Rogers looks promising, and Las Vegas signed Spencer Burford.
All in all, the Raiders have added way more talent than they have lost, to the point that two of their three biggest losses aren't even losses at all. It defies logic, as a paradox does, to lose three key starters and actually get better, but that's how bad Las Vegas was in 2025.
The roster isn't exactly complete, nor will it be among the best in the NFL in 2026. But the Raiders have added an elite player, and a handful more of very good ones, thus far in the offseason. And they've also benefitted from addition by subtraction.