John Spytek needed this one.
The Raiders general manager had been under plenty of pressure after a run of draft misses and free-agent swings that hadn’t paid off. Alex Cappa was poor last season, and Tyler Linderbaum has struggled this year. Neither move came cheap, either, which only sharpened the scrutiny around Spytek’s early work.
Then came the blockbuster trade involving quarterback Kirk Cousins, and suddenly Spytek had something much more valuable than breathing room: a third-round pick. It’s the kind of return that can change the conversation around a front office, especially for a team with this many holes to fill.
Even if some around the league thought Las Vegas could have gotten more, the deal still looks like a strong one. A third-rounder gives the Raiders another shot at young, affordable talent, and it also says Spytek understood when an asset was worth more away from the field than on it.
That’s no small thing, because Cousins was not exactly viewed as a premium trade chip before the season. The 38-year-old veteran was older, and most teams didn’t seem interested in bringing in the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback. But his play in Las Vegas changed the picture fast.
In 2025, Cousins put up 10 touchdowns over an eight-game stretch. He has already doubled that total before Week 10 of the 2026 regular season. Head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense has clearly brought out a different version of him, one that looks far more like the quarterback who can still drive a passing game than the one many teams passed on.
The contract made the whole thing even sweeter for Las Vegas. What looked at first like a five-year, $172 million deal was actually a one-year arrangement.
The Raiders ended up paying their starting quarterback less than $700,000 to mentor their rookie and lead the NFL in touchdown passes. Spytek, in that sense, worked the market exactly right.
And the savings didn’t stop there. Minnesota is taking on all of the remaining money on the deal, which means Las Vegas not only landed strong compensation but also opened up an extra $10 million.
There’s more reason for optimism beyond the Cousins trade, too. The Raiders entered 2025 with 11 draft picks, but only four have made an impact.
This year’s class is tracking much better. Six of the team’s 10 picks in 2026 are already competing early in their careers, which is exactly what a rebuilding roster needs.
Safety Treydan Stukes and running back Mike Washington Jr. have been the most productive names from the class so far. Fernando Mendoza is set to make his first professional start, Trey Zuhn has taken over at right guard, and cornerback Jermod McCoy is starting to look more comfortable as the game slows down for him.
Put it all together, and Spytek’s outlook looks a lot different than it did not long ago. The Cousins trade gave him a major win, and the early returns from the 2026 draft class suggest the Raiders may finally be moving in the right direction.
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Raiders Defensive Collapse Has Put Rob Leonard Under Real Pressure
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