By ESPN | Created at 2025-01-22 20:46:58 | Updated at 2025-01-26 07:26:55
3 days ago
Paul GutierrezJan 22, 2025, 02:07 PM ET
- Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders are finalizing a deal to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek as their new GM, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Spytek, 44, will be the Raiders' fifth GM, including interims, since the team relocated to Las Vegas from Oakland in 2020, following Mike Mayock, Dave Ziegler, Champ Kelly and Tom Telesco.
Among Spytek's first assignments will be hiring a new coach. The Raiders have already interviewed, either in person or virtually, Pete Carroll, Ron Rivera, Robert Saleh and Vance Joseph, as well as Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. The Raiders have also been linked to Todd Monken. Johnson and Glenn have since been hired as the head coaches of the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has said in the past he was not comfortable in paring a first-time GM with a first-year coach.
Spytek and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady were college teammates at Michigan in 1999 -- Brady was the Wolverines' senior quarterback, Spytek a freshman linebacker -- and were together in Tampa when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV.
As Raiders GM, Spytek inherits a first-team All-Pro tight end in Brock Bowers but needs at quarterback and running back. Davis said he anticipated Brady helping in a QB selection as well as helping to train that QB.
Spytek will also have to deal with several starters on defense poised to hit free agency, including the likes of defensive ends Malcolm Koonce and K'Lavon Chaisson, linebackers Divine Deablo and Robert Spillane, cornerback Nate Hobbs and safeties Marcus Epps and Tre'von Moehrig.
The Raiders hold the No. 6 draft pick as well as an additional third-rounder from the Davante Adams trade with the New York Jets. Plus, Las Vegas is projected to have more than $108 million in salary cap space.
Spytek's NFL career began as an operations intern with the Detroit Lions in 2004 before working as a player personnel intern with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005. He also worked for the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos before joining the Buccaneers in 2016 as their director of player personnel. He was promoted to vice president of player personnel in 2021 and then to assistant GM in 2023.
In his career, he has worked with a number of top-level executives and coaches, including Jason Licht, John Elway, Andy Reid, Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, John Harbaugh and Gary Kubiak.
