john spytek
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Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek.
The Las Vegas Raiders are clearing up some salary cap space before the start of free agency. It has already been reported that quarterback Geno Smith is going to get cut, which will save $8 million in salary cap.
The Raiders are also moving on from another key addition from last offseason. The team announced that offensive guard Alex Cappa has been cut.
Cappa was the first signing that general manager John Spytek made after getting the job. Despite the fact that he’s had success in the past, it has been a few years since he was a capable starter.
The Raiders gave him plenty of chances last season. He played in all 17 games, starting eight of them. The good news is that most of his guarantees are already up. Cutting him only saddles the team with a $1 million dead cap hit, but it clears up $6 million.
That will add to the Raiders’ ample cap space, which they are expected to use to address the offensive line. Cappa is 31 now, so it remains to be seen if he’ll continue playing. He has played 119 games in his career, so he could have value as a depth piece for a team. This further reinforces that the Raiders are embracing youth.