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Report: Las Vegas Raiders, Tom Brady hiring Buccaneers' John Spytek as new GM

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•about 18 hours•

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Tom Brady
Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are finalizing a deal to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek as their general manager, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday.

Spytek, 44, has spent the last nine years working under Jason Licht in Tampa Bay’s front office, and now gets his first shot at being a general manager in the NFL.

The Tom Brady effect is strong with this hire, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion and Raiders minority owner was teammates with Spytek at Michigan in 1999. Spytek, then director of player personnel, helped the Buccaneers sign Brady during the 2020 offseason. Brady led Tampa Bay to its second Super Bowl championship that season. Given his relationship with Brady, Spytek always appeared to be the favorite to land in Las Vegas, who fired Tom Telesco after just one year on the job.

Spytek was the top lieutenant for Licht and has worked with several notable coaches and executives during his career, including John Elway, Andy Reid, Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, John Harbaugh and Gary Kubiak.

Raiders make splash hire in front office, continuing search for new HC

Licht has credited Spytek for playing a role in the Buccaneers’ successes in the NFL Draft over the years, from receiver Chris Godwin to left tackle Tristan Wirfs, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., defensive tackle Vita Vea and running back Bucky Irving among others.

“It starts with my staff,” Licht told Pewter Report this past August. “I’ll always say that. They do a phenomenal job. We’ve been together for a long time. John [Spytek], Mike [Greenberg], [Mike] Biehl, Rob McCartney, my scouts – I could sit here all day, and I would name every single one of them, so I don’t want to leave one of them out. They do a phenomenal job.

“They know what I’m looking for when they present it to me, and they whittle it down and I look at the players and make the final decision – along with Todd [Bowles] – but I make the final decision.”

With a general manager in place, Las Vegas will continue to search for its next head coach. The Raiders are still interviewing candidates after missing out on Ben Johnson, who took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears.