It was a beautiful day in Las Vegas as the new sheriff in town, Pete Carroll, made his media debut as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Alongside Carroll was Sin City’s new general manager, John Spytek, the now-former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager who always dreamed of getting an opportunity such as the one he now has.
“When I dreamed of having a job like this, I always wanted it to be with one of the iconic franchises like the Raiders,” Spytek said.
As Las Vegas’ acting owner, Mark Davis, introduced his new head coach-general manager tandem, the two began giving background information on themselves. Spytek hails from the University of Michigan, where he played college football with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. Because of this connection, the now-former Buccaneers assistant general manager was able to reunite the two former Michigan Wolverines in Tampa Bay back in 2020.
Las Vegas will be the duo’s second reunion in the pros.
For the most part, Carroll is a well-respected coach in all levels of football. His tenures both in Seattle and Southern California were legendary. He now hopes to leave a similar legacy in Sin City.
As far as the press conference itself goes, there was a lot to take away from the event. One being that former Raiders running back, Marshawn Lynch, is a fan of his home team’s hirings.
Marshawn Lynch attended Pete Carroll’s #Raiders introductory press conference.
In the middle of Pete’s speech, Lynch interrupted with a loud “RRRRAAIDERRRRSSSSSS!” pic.twitter.com/cxi8wmDs3o
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 27, 2025
Maxx Crosby will remain with the Las Vegas Raiders
Surprisingly, the face of the franchise, Maxx Crosby, has no guaranteed money in his contract this season. Despite being the leader of the defense, a tough decision will have to be made this summer.
However, Raider Nation seems to have a sense of relief. “The Condor” is showing commitment to the franchise as he attended the conference welcoming his new head coach and general manager. More than that, he and his new coach were seen conversing after the presser.
Maxx Crosby and Pete Carroll chopping it up #Raiders #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/Xl8sjib46a
— Logan Reever (@loganreever) January 27, 2025
“Maxx, send the message,” Carroll said. “We are going to get this rolling as soon as possible.”
It sounds like No. 98 will be returning to Las Vegas for the near future. A new deal will hopefully be completed sooner rather than later.
John Spytek and Pete Carroll will try to find their quarterback
Since the release of Derek Carr, the Raiders haven’t been able to find themselves a starting quarterback. John Spytek, Las Vegas’ new general manager, expressed admiration for how Carroll has previously addressed this type of situation.
“I admired how they started in Seattle with the quarterback position,” Spytek said. “They traded, they drafted guys high, they found their way to Russell.”
However, he did not leave out the possibility of retaining Aidan O’Connell as the starter.
“We are certainly going to look everywhere possible to find a quarterback”
John Spytek on the importance of getting the QB right
Spytek is open to all options like rolling with Aidan O’Connell, a veteran QB or finding one in the Draft. #raiders#RaiderNation @8NewsNow pic.twitter.com/DdaetBhIie
— Gilberto Obregón (@Gil_OnAir) January 27, 2025
In this quote, Spytek alludes to the roster potentially not being tailored for a quarterback to succeed. Free agency could involve many moving pieces on the offense based on his comments.
Mark Davis addressed the head coach carousel in Sin City
It’s no secret that the Raiders and head coaches have somewhat of a toxic relationship. On average, the person hired to fulfill this job has been relieved of his duties after about two seasons. Subsequently, this has led to many questions surrounding Davis’ ability to hire a commendable staff.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Davis felt it was difficult to move on from the duo of Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco. In the words of the Raiders owner, Pierce created a “never quit” mentality and Telesco drafted well.
Additionally, Davis addressed the departure of his former head coach, Jon Gruden. In his eyes, there was stability among the team until Gruden “had his head cut off.”
Next season should be a promising year for the Silver and Black. A historical patriarch at head coach and a rising star at general manager; perhaps Mark Davis got this one right.
*Top Photo: The Sporting Tribune/D.J. Cabanlong
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