John Spytek Tyler Linderbaum Las Vegas Raiders
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General manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory, as the Pete Carroll experiment didn’t go as planned, leading the storied franchise to overhaul its coaching staff and roster.
With the Klint Kubiak era underway, the team has made some drastic moves, including trades and signings in NFL free agency, leading many to believe the Raiders have won the offseason and have a bright future ahead in Las Vegas.
Raiders GM Opens Up About Landing Tyler Linderbaum
Tyler Linderbaum John Spytek Las Vegas Raiders Baltimore Ravens
GettyTyler Linderbaum #64 of the Baltimore Ravens
Perhaps the biggest addition in terms of an immediate impact on the Raiders is the team signing former Baltimore Ravens center and three-time Pro Bowler, Tyler Linderbaum.
On Thursday, Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke with JT The Brick about the team signing Linderbaum in free agency and how it all came together for Las Vegas.
“It was a unique situation with him not getting his fifth-year option picked up,” Spytek said of signing Linderbaum. “And that happens with centers in particular, just because of the way the contract in the fifth-year option looks. But I give a lot of credit to our entire pro department. … That was a guy that we targeted early, and just we thought with the way that a lot of times those guys do that go with a player of that caliber, a lot of times those guys get done before free agency starts, and he didn’t. Once it was clear he was going to hit the market, we made our best offer. We had a lot of great conversations with Klint [Kubiak] and the coaching staff about how important the center is in this offense that we’re going to run and particularly a player of his caliber and his traits. And so, we tried to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
Spytek also spoke about what he’s learned about Linderbaum after getting him in the building in Las Vegas as the Raiders’ new starting center for the foreseeable future.
“He’s where we go back to our college evaluations of him and really the character, too,” Spytek said. “We read all that stuff, too, just to have an idea of what the player is and or what the person is that we’re getting. And he’s just like you’d expect. I was around Tristan Wirfs for many years in Tampa, and those Big 10 linemen are near and dear to my heart, just with my background, and they’re cut from the right kind of cloth and Tyler certainly is that kind of person.”
The next step for the Raiders is addressing the quarterback position in the 2026 NFL Draft, with all signs pointing to Las Vegas selecting Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick on April 23.
Spytek Shares Thoughts on Signing Jalen Nailor
Jalen Nailor Las Vegas Raiders Minnesota Vikings John Spytek
GettyJalen Nailor #1 of the Minnesota Vikings
Along with adding Linderbaum at center, Spytek and company also brought in veteran wide receiver Jalen Nailor, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, in free agency.
Spytek was asked whether Nailor will change the wide receiver room in Las Vegas.
“I don’t know if it’s going to change it, other than we just were trying to find a good player at that position,” Spytek said of adding Nailor to the wide receiver room. “We were young there last year. He’s a more proven vet. And I think the cool thing about him is that he was really the fourth option there when you look at the two receivers they have, both first-round picks, both excellent players, and then the tight end they have there, too. Whenever he was asked to produce, whenever he had to step in, if those guys were dinged up or whatever in Minnesota, he performed, and he’s got a lot of the traits we look for in a wide receiver; he’s a great kid. My only gripe with him is he’s a Spartan, but I was willing to overlook that to get a playof like him in the building.”
Although anything can happen moving forward, the Raiders’ brass has done a good job of setting up what could be a promising future, with Mendoza, presumably drafted No. 1, Linderbaum, Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Nailor.