It is no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders have failed to find any semblance of consistency in the two decades since their fateful defeat in Super Bowl XXXVII. However, Mark Davis looked to correct his shortcomings this offseason with the hiring of general manager John Spytek.
Spytek came to Las Vegas from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was a high-level executive for a team that is always a playoff contender and has the most homegrown roster in the NFL every year. He was given a five-year contract by the Raiders, which means that the Silver and Black will be built in his image over the next half-decade.
Davis' choice to hire Spytek and give him the keys to the franchise was met with a surprisingly positive response in league circles, which is incredibly uncommon for Las Vegas.
John Spytek ranked dead-last in NFL general manager ranking
However, predicated by a bizarre line of reasoning, FanSided's John Buhler still wrote that Spytek is dead-last among NFL general managers when it comes to trustworthiness, competence and long-term vision.
"The Las Vegas Raiders are one of a handful of new front office regimes taking over," Buhler wrote. "This is no slight on John Spytek coming from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but rather the Raiders organization as a whole. Mark Davis is a bit of a meddler, as he rarely allows any regime under his watch to really get to work and run its course. The Raiders have been strange for 25 years, so look for that to continue."
While Davis has certainly been impatient during his run as the Raiders' owner, Buhler's low ranking of Spytek ultimately has nothing to do with Spytek himself. To rank him so low and essentially refer to him as the most untrustworthy and least competent general manager in the league beacause of Davis' past decisions is completely unfair.
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Spytek was Jason Licht's right-hand man in Tampa Bay for several seasons, and he was integral in the team's acquisition of Tom Brady, who won the franchise a Super Bowl. He was also a National Scout for the Denver Broncos in 2015 when their homegrown roster won a Super Bowl as well.
Success has followed Spytek everywhere he has gone, and the Raiders should be no different. You would be hard-pressed to find any experts who think Spytek is not up to the task, and thankfully, he has five years to continue proving people wrong.
He also brought in highly coveted front office members from the Philadelphia Eagles like Anthony Patch and Brandon Hunt, who should only solidify Las Vegas' operation as one of the best in the league. In a few years, it would not be surprising if Spytek ends up as the single greatest hire that the Raiders' franchise has made in decades, and everyone can laugh at this list.