The Las Vegas Raiders were expected to undergo some changes when the news broke that Tom Brady was buying a minority stake in the franchise but it's clear now that he has a major say over football operations. This was proven by the fact that the team hired John Spytek as general manager, who played with Brady at Michigan and was the vice president of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while he played there.
Former Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski worked with Spytek and Brady over the years and believes that the two will work well together. Gronkowski spoke to Athlon on behalf of Boutny and gave his thoughts on Spytek as a general manager.
Rob Gronkowski.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
"Spytek, he's a good-looking dude, there's no doubt about that. He's got the looks," Gronkowski told Athlon. "But he's also got the knowledge, as well. He was under Jason Licht, the GM with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they have been putting great teams together to compete over the last decade.
"I think Spytek is a great fit for the Las Vegas Raiders, especially having that background with him and Tom [Brady] when Spytek was one of the assistant GMs down in Tampa. He knows what he's getting out of him, he knows his players, he knows talent so I think it's a good overall fit for Pete Carroll and Tom Brady and Mark Davis."
Gronkowski's praise for Spytek echoes most of the NFL as the Raiders have been praised for the hire. While Spytek does have a relationship with Brady, it appears that he was hired more for his football knowledge than anything else.
