Things were going smoothly for new Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek early in the offseason, but he’s had to deal with some drama in recent weeks. First, he had to make the tough decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, and now he has to deal with another issue.
Starting wide receiver Jakobi Meyers requested a trade from the team after failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension. This will be another test for Spytek, but for now, he decided to praise the wide receiver despite the trade request.
“Jakobi is a consummate professional,” Spytek told reporters on Wednesday. “Jakobi and I have had a lot of great conversations since I’ve gotten here about many different things, and I’m excited that he’s here and he’s a Raider. And he’s on the field working hard today, and I have not seen him do anything but that since I’ve been here. He’s a professional. I think he really values being a Raider; he has a lot of respect for this game, and I think he only knows how to go about one way, which is to give his best when he’s out there.”
Spytek Addresses Amari Cooper Signing
With Meyers possibly on his way out, the Raiders signed former first-round pick Amari Cooper. Spytek wasn’t with the Raiders when they drafted him, but he was happy to bring him to the team.
“[H]is ability to make unique catches is something that’s always stood out for me,” Spytek said of Cooper. “And whether or not you’re the fastest guy in the world or you’re not the fastest guy in the world, you’re going to have to make contested catches at this level. And he’s always been able to do that, and he had many of those last year. … We have a plan for him to bring him along, and that plan will more than likely include him being a big part of the game plan in New England in 10 days, or whatever it is from now.”
Spytek Talks First Offseason as a GM
Spytek has a lot of experience working in NFL front offices, but this is the first time he can call the shots. Roster cut down day is a brutal day for any general manager, but he was confident he could handle making difficult decisions.
“I wanted this job for a lot of different reasons, but it’s because I’m not afraid to make tough and critical decisions, and I don’t think that I’m going to get them all right,” Spytek said. “I’ve lived through getting things wrong, and the older you get, I think you all realize you get things wrong but that you’ll be okay. But to make tough choices with conviction and then be self critical and open minded and aware enough to realize, like I got this one right, and this is why I got it right, and this one wrong, and this is why I got it wrong.
“And I’m sure we got some wrong over the past month, and we’ll see, but I can promise you, I’ll learn from those and I’ll only get better because of that.”
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