Spytek, Mendoza, and Maxx Crosby

Raiders GM John Spytek joined Rich in the hour after Michigan cut down the nets, and the two Michigan men opened by teasing Albert Breer. Spytek called him an Ohio State cherry picker. Rich wrote it down. The rest of the interview covered the first overall pick, the Max Crosby situation, and the new head coach in Las Vegas.

Spytek was a freshman when Tom Brady was a senior at Michigan. He does not remember meeting Brady for the first time, but he remembers a Christmas Eve dinner at the Orange Bowl in Miami, where Brady sat with the freshmen and kept them sane. On the scout team, he had many tough moments against Steve Hutchinson and Jeff Backus. He told his 19-year-old self not to be so hard on himself. Hutchinson ended up in Canton.

On Fernando Mendoza, who appeared earlier in the show, Spytek was complimentary without tipping his hand. Multiple touchpoints going back to the combine. Good values, raised right, smart, hardworking. Took charge of his pro day and used it to highlight his teammates. Tough. The kid took hits in the Big Ten Championship Game and had his lip bloodied in the national championship game and kept playing. Toughness is paramount at quarterback.

On Kirk Cousins, Spytek sidestepped the Mendoza comparison Rich floated. Cousins signed with the Raiders because he has history with new OC Clint Kubiak and still has good football left. He is the most proven quarterback in the room and will get the first reps. Best man plays. Meritocracy. Spytek noted he finally signed a Michigan man, then offset it with three Michigan State Spartans, and said he will not hold that against Kirk.

On Max Crosby, the tone shifted carefully. Spytek said Crosby technically never left. The trade with the Ravens fell apart, Crosby never failed a physical by Raiders standards, and he came back into the building and sat in Spytek's office the first day. He called Crosby an extra free agent. Rich tried to push on whether the knee concern cooled Baltimore's interest. Spytek said he does not have an opinion on that. He was in the office when he got the news, calmly delivered it to Mark Davis and the ownership group, and moved on. Crosby will be a Week 1 Raider in 2026.

On Clint Kubiak, hardworking, humble, smart, good with the team, tells the truth. Already holding people accountable in meetings. Spytek is happy to have him after the Super Bowl win.

On the eight-minute first round clock, Spytek expects early picks to be mostly locked in. The trades that get squeezed tend to come later in the first, when teams react to players falling. Have a process, have the right people talking, organize information. It will be fine.

No stress. Just three days until the Raiders are on the clock.