The interviews for Bucs assistant general managers continue, but this one hits a little closer given the person involved trying to take someone away from Tampa Bay’s front office. Bucs assistant general manager John Spytek is going to interview with the Las Vegas, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. Of course a minority owner of the Raiders is former Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, who apparently is “running the show” despite owning a small portion of the team.

John Spytek Has Long History With Tom Brady That Goes Beyond Bucs

John Spytek has already been called on for a second interview with the Tennessee Titans. He can add the Raiders to the list as well, but this one is much more personal given his previous working relationship with Brady. And it goes even further than that.

Spytek and Brady each went to Michigan and were teammates on the Wolverines for the 1999 season as Spytek was just beginning his career as a freshman while Brady was a redshirt senior and starting quarterback.

Bucs assistant GMs John Spytek and Mike Greenberg, personnel director Rob McCartney, Bucs GM Jason Licht and Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That relationship continued when Brady came to the Bucs in 2020, winning Super Bowl LV and breaking several records in three seasons from 2020 to 2022. Brady didn’t stay too far away from the game following his retirement. The 2024 season is his first a broadcaster for FOX and he’s been able to reunite with former Bucs front office members and teammates on the sidelines prior to kickoff through calling a couple of their games in Tampa this season.

This includes the season finale, as Brady witnessed Baker Mayfield and the Bucs defeat the Saints to clinch the NFC South division for the fourth year in a row and make the postseason for a fifth straight time – a streak that began when Brady arrived. What conversations were had between Spytek and Brady could only come to light from the two of them, but we might be looking at a scenario where Spytek heads to Vegas.

The Raiders are in a tough spot. A Week 17 win with then head coach Antonio Pierce eventually knocked them down to the sixth spot in this year’s NFL Draft. A loss would’ve given them the No. 1 overall pick. This means the Raiders are likely to miss out on quarterback prospects Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward from Miami.

Las Vegas needs a lot of talent and desperately needs a quarterback as well. Unless they make a trade, it appears they’ll be taking the best player available.

Bucs Will Miss John Spytek If He Leaves

Bucs GM Jason Licht and assistant GM John Spytek – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Because the Bucs front office has been so good for so long, it makes sense that other teams would want their top members with assistant general managers Spytek and Mike Greenberg. Spytek has been an assistant general manager in Tampa Bay for two years but has been with the Bucs personnel department since 2016. As assistant general manager, Spytek oversees the college and professional scouting departments for the team. He has helped build a top scouting foundation in Tampa.

The Bucs have had some really spectacular draft classes as of late thanks in part to Spytek and it looks like they’ve hit on another stellar group with the likes of center Graham Barton, wide receiver Jalen McMillan and running back Bucky Irving all make quick impacts. Over the years Spytek has helped out in instances such as trading for outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, signing outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and bringing on quarterback Baker Mayfield in free agency.

Having Spytek depart would be a considerable blow to the organization based on his ability to consistently find talent. But that’s what happens when one continues to field a successful team. Thankfully, general manager Jason Licht has a deep and talented front office roster that includes directors of player personnel Rob McCartney and Mike Biehl, in addition to director of pro scouting Shane Scannell and senior personnel executive Byron Kiefer.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds has a new Pewter Pulse video, which you can find on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel, about Bucs front office members potentially moving on for general manager opportunities. Watch the video on the big shakeup that might be happening in Tampa Bay.