BREAKING: Raiders GM Spytek Reveals Crucial X-Factor Skill

The Las Vegas Raiders' new general manager John Spytek was the best candidate available league-wide. Spytek revealed his greatest X-Factor during his introductory press conference on Monday.
Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of Las Vegas Raiders helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of Las Vegas Raiders helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders grabbed arguably the best general manager candidate available in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek. He was the architect of the 2021 Tampa squad that won a Lombardi Trophy, building through years of good drafting and free agency before getting the final and most important piece -- Super Bowl-winning quarterback and former Michigan teammate Tom Brady.

Now, Spytek is a Raider and Brady is a minority owner with the organization. Spytek is a world-class scout (he got his start in scouting), but perhaps his most valuable trait is what he told our Hondo Carpenter at Monday's introductory press conference -- listening.

"I would start by -- when I was in Detroit I was in operations and all I wanted to do was get into scouting," the new GM said. "I bothered everybody that had any kind of computer that I could watch tape on it forever. And then I'd just go listen and try to understand what they were looking for in players, what made them tick -- did they like speed, did they like quickness. Did they like high-character guys, did they want to take risks. To me, that's just kind of who I am as a person, I'm infinitely curious, I'm open-minded. I think if people just slow down sometimes and listen to the people around them, it's amazing how much you can learn.

"I tell my wife all the time, the nature of a scout is to always be watching and observing. So I'm always watching and observing ... It's such a great quality, you know, and people will tell you the truth in this business. If you find the right people and our job as scouts and where I've come up is to get to the root of who people are and decide whether or not we want to add them to our organization and that's ultimately what we're trying to do."

Carroll added that being a good listener is a huge factor in being a good competitor, which is the No. 1 characteristic the coach and Spytek are looking for to build a strong foundation for the Raiders.

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