Raiders' 5 Most Underrated Moves Under GM John Spytek

The Las Vegas Raiders have made more notable roster moves this offseason than just about any team in the National Football League. Las Vegas has made several notable moves that have thoroughly upgraded its roster in just a few months.

These two moves go hand in hand. Meyers initially signed with the Raiders, two GM hires before Spytek arrived. His first season was Meyers' final year of a three-year deal that paid him roughly $11 million per year. The veteran wanted a long-term contract at a yearly rate nearly double his salary at the time with the Raiders.

Las Vegas was unwilling to make that happen, but traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who gave him a three-year deal worth $20 million a year. Las Vegas eventually signed the younger Nailor to a contract nearly identical to the one Meyers signed with the Raiders in 2023. Spytek and the Raiders did right by Meyers and by the organization.

Sticking With Veteran DE Malcolm Koonce

Spytek faced a challenge early in his tenure with the Raiders, as one of the highest-paid but least-productive players on the team, Christian Wilkins, was seemingly unable to get on the same page with the front office about his recovery from an injury that held him out of 12 of his first 17 games while on the roster, after signing a massive $100 million contract with the Raiders just months before.

Wilkins, who was signed by former Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco, and Spytek got off on the wrong foot, and things never recovered. Still, how Spytek handled everything, both privately and publicly, was noted by those in and around the organization and set the tone for how things would be handled going forward.

The fact that Wilkins, who was one of the top free agents available just two offseasons ago, still has not signed with another team lends credence to the belief that Spytek and the Raiders handled it the right way.

Spytek handled the first of many major distractions during his tenure, quickly and firmly. How he conducted business was undoubtedly noted and respected by the players in the locker room, helping establish the first layer of the rebuild he was tasked with overseeing.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Raiders' 5 Most Underrated Moves Under GM John Spytek.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM.