The Las Vegas Raiders brought in John Spytek as their new general manager this offseason to clean up the problems left by previous leadership. One of the franchise’s biggest challenges in recent years has been poor quarterback play, and at the NFL Combine, Spytek spoke with Gregg Rosenthal about his approach to fixing the position.
“We’re going to be intelligently aggressive,” Spytek stated. “We’re very mindful of our financial situation and won’t just spend recklessly to fill the quarterback room with multiple options who may not be the answer.”
Last season, the Raiders arguably had the league’s worst quarterback situation, with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell, and Desmond Ridder all seeing starts. While Minshew and O’Connell remain under contract, neither has proven to be a long-term solution.
At least one of them is expected to be released before next season, leaving the team in need of a new starting-caliber quarterback. After failing to land Matthew Stafford in a trade, the Raiders must now look to free agency or the draft for their next signal-caller.
With the No. 6 and No. 37 picks, prospects like Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart could be in play, while veterans such as Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson are also potential options if the team wants a more established starter. A trade for someone like Geno Smith remains a possibility, but for now, the team’s choices are somewhat limited.
That said, Spytek has experience handling similar situations, giving Raiders fans more reason for optimism than in previous years.