The Raiders Just Told Us The No. 1 Overall Draft Pick Will, Of Course, Be A Quarterback

Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek spent part of his day on Monday explaining to local reporters his thoughts on the Pete Carroll firing and the job that awaits him and Tom Brady in trying to rebuild the franchise.

The questioning eventually turned to the potential impact of hiring the right new coach and having the No. 1 overall pick in the April NFL draft, which Spytek previously described as "a great opportunity."

Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Spytek: Right QB 'Franchise-Altering' 

You know what Spytek did next? He started speaking about the importance of hiring the right coach, yes  … and talked about picking the right quarterback. 

"The league is littered with when you get the top pick right, those guys are franchise-altering players," Spytek said. "There's probably no more important hire in an NFL organization than the head coach. They're the daily guy. They set the vision, they set the cadence. They are what touches the players every day and demand excellence from players. 

"And the players are the ones that have to go out there and do it. And the more good players you have, and the better person at the helm that you have steering that ship, my experience is, the more successful you are…."

Here it comes:

"And you look at, are there two more important hires in an organization than a quarterback and a head coach?" Spytek said. "I think we probably all would agree that those two men usually steer the ship, and that's out in front of us right now."

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Intel Will Interest Teams And Smith 

So, the Raiders general manager, in discussing the hiring of a coach and having the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, talked about the importance of that coach and a quarterback.

I grant you, this is not earth-shattering investigative reporting. It's merely listening to what is asked and how it is answered.

And doing that makes it quite clear Spytek is, at this stage, pointed toward landing a quarterback with the No. 1 overall selection. That's important for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it's important news for Geno Smith, the incumbent quarterback whose status for 2026 is uncertain.

And it will probably be good intel for the New York Jets (picking No. 2), Arizona Cardinals (No. 3) and Cleveland Browns (No. 6) because they're all expected to be in the quarterback market as well.

Oregon's Dante Moore and Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza are believed to be the two top quarterback prospects assuming they declare for the draft.

John Spytek, current quarterback Geno Smith, and former head coach Pete Carroll. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Geno Smith Vegas Future Murky

About Smith: He led the NFL with 17 interceptions and, like most Raiders players, was otherwise inconsistent as the team managed a 2-13 record in his 15 starts.

Spytek was asked if he intends on bringing the veteran, under contract for two more seasons, back in 2026.

"Yeah, Geno is under contract for next year," the general manager said. "We did that because when we traded for him, we liked him. I'm not going to get too far into the future right now, I'm day by day, but he's one of the guys that's under contract, he's a quarterback, he played some good football this year, and we'll make those decisions going forward."

As far as endorsements go, that isn't one.