“It was kind of like watching Babe Ruth in his final years, you know? I mean, the legend. And I didn’t know how long he was going to be there, so I didn’t want to let him down.” That’s how Buccaneers GM Jason Licht described Tom Brady’s twilight in Tampa Bay. Think about it: a living legend, still swinging for the fences long after most hang up their cleats. Brady didn’t just bring a Lombardi Trophy to Florida—he rewired the DNA of an entire franchise.

Offices hummed sharper, players lifted heavier, and even the ticket sales team worked like they were down three points with two minutes left. But like Ruth’s fading home run trot, Brady’s exit left a question lingering: What happens when the GOAT’s shadow stretches beyond the field? Turns out, it reaches Las Vegas.

Licht confirmed this week that he played matchmaker between Brady and the Raiders at the Green Light Podcast, helping orchestrate a key front-office hire: former Bucs assistant GM John Spytek. “He elevated everybody. We’re still feeling the ripple effects,” Licht said of Brady. “There’s been stories about what I had John Spytek and Rob McCartney meet with him on a weekly basis over our opponent.” Those ripples now flow west. Spytek, a Licht protégé praised for his “rugged workhorse” mentality, took the Raiders’ GM job in March 2025—a move Brady reportedly championed.

“Would be a special kind of idiot if I didn’t use Tom as a sounding board,” Spytek quipped at his introductory presser. The connection runs deeper than resumes. Brady and Spytek first crossed paths at Michigan in 1999—Brady a senior QB, Spytek a freshman linebacker. Decades later, they reunited in Tampa, where Spytek’s rise from scout to Licht’s right-hand man mirrored Brady’s own meticulous grind. “He gets stuff done,” one Bucs staffer said of Spytek. Now, with Brady as a Raiders minority owner, the duo’s shared history could rewrite Vegas’ playbook. But Licht’s fingerprints are all over this saga.

He drafted Tom Brady’s favorite targets (Mike Evans, Tristan Wirfs), hired coaches who embraced his intensity (Bruce Arians, Todd Bowles), and mentored Spytek into a GM-ready leader. Licht’s ethos kept Tampa competitive post-Brady, transitioning seamlessly to Baker Mayfield and a youth-driven roster. Now, Licht’s coaching tree branches into Vegas.

But let’s be clear: This isn’t charity. Licht’s assist to Brady and the Raiders underscores a league-wide truth—great GMs breed great successors. Spytek’s Raiders tenure will test whether Brady’s “standard” can thrive in a new desert climate.

From Tampa’s sunshine to Vegas’ neon lights: Brady’s shadow, Spytek’s spotlight

Spytek’s resume reads like an NFL scout’s fever dream: Super Bowl rings (Denver 2015, Tampa 2020), a knack for late-round steals (Antoine Winfield Jr., Bucky Irving), and a rep for simplifying chaos. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since 2002, and Spytek’s first task—hiring head coach Pete Carroll—signals a win-now pivot. But can a Brady-backed GM outrun the ghosts of Al Davis’ “Just win, baby” era?

Brady’s role here is Schrödinger’s consultant: everywhere and nowhere. He’s not calling plays, but his presence looms. Skeptics counter that Brady’s front-office stumbles in Foxborough (remember the Mac Jones drama?) hint at a learning curve. Still, Spytek’s confidence is unshakable. “I pride myself on being a team player,” he said. “I don’t think that this is about me at all.” Besides, Raiders fans owe Licht a case of champagne.

Without his mentorship, Spytek might still be a nameless scout. Without Brady’s gravitational pull, Vegas’ reboot stays stuck in neutral. But gratitude fades fast in the NFL. As Licht put it, “If you’re out four starters for your big game against your division rival, we’re going to lose for sure. It’s all right. Let’s get these guys ready. We got to coach them. We got to make some adjustments, and we got to do this, and this isn’t going to stop us from doing what we’re doing.” Spytek’s job?

Prove that Brady’s magic isn’t confined to Florida—or the past. Tom Brady didn’t just retire—he fractalized. His influence splintered into front offices, draft rooms, and franchises desperate to bottle his relentlessness. In Tampa, Licht’s “ripple effect” birthed a contender. In Vegas, it’s a gamble. But as John Steinbeck wrote, “Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

So, Raider Nation: Will Spytek’s “good” be enough… or does Brady’s ghost demand perfection?