Over the last decade or so, the Las Vegas Raiders have been faced with just about every issue that a team can endure. Whether it be gross incompetence on the field, unfathomable stories from the locker room or off the field, tragic losses, coach resignations, players crashing out... we've seen it all.
Hardly anything feels like it would be uncharted territory at this point for the Silver and Black, but as fans recently learned in the Maxx Crosby trade, anything is still possible. But as the tide turns toward a brighter future, there could even be some good problems to be had here soon.
For the longest time, the Raiders have been so incompetent that not only do players, coaches and executives not thrive here, but they rarely even make it elsewhere in the NFL. However, a key Las Vegas exec, assistant GM Brian Stark, is apparently an option for the Minnesota Vikings' open GM job.
Las Vegas Raiders asst GM Brian Stark could be in running for Vikings' vacant GM job
That's right; in a rare twist of events, another NFL front office could want someone from the Raiders to come in and save the day. To lead their franchise into the future. The Athletic's Alec Lewis explained why Stark may be on the short list of candidates up in Minnesota.
"Stark, who was the Denver Broncos’ director of college scouting from 2016 to 2024, followed his close friend, John Spytek, to the Las Vegas Raiders. This background is just a start. Stark coached at San Diego State from 2000 to 2008. A quarterback there during that time? Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.
"Stark is an executive who is aware of O’Connell’s vision and abilities. His evaluation chops are worth a mention, too. He began his NFL career as a college scout on the West Coast. The Vikings could marry those relationships with the team’s current college scouting staff."
As Lewis mentioned, Stark had a glamorous run with the Broncos, grinding from an area scout role to the director of college scouting. He helped build a Super Bowl champion roster there that was littered with homegrown talent, and he helped Denver turn back into a contender over the last few years.
But Stark's connection to the Vikings isn't simply just that he and O'Connell have roots at San Diego State or even that they were there at the same time. Stark was O'Connell's quarterbacks coach for three years with the Aztecs. The two worked intimately together for several seasons, which matters.
Minnesota could use some more credibility out on the West Coast, and Stark has a firm pulse on the region. If the Vikings don't hire interim Rob Brzezinski to the full-time gig, and his draft grades say they shouldn't, then Stark could easily be a frontrunner in Minnesota.
Although he has been with the Raiders for just under a year, Stark has been a pivotal part of the operation. His impressive history as a college scout and rapport with Spytek from their days in Denver helped him make an impact on Las Vegas' draft class this year, which was highly regarded.
It's not ideal to lose key front office members if you're the Raiders, as this rebuild is truly just getting started. Las Vegas wants as many stable pieces in place, especially someone critical like Stark. But if he gets tabbed by Minnesota as the next GM, there's not much Spytek can, or should want to, do.
Again, it is such uncharted territory for the Silver and Black to even think about a promising assistant being promoted into a full-time role elsewhere. But it sounds like Stark is at least a serious option for the Vikings' general manager position.
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