The Las Vegas Raiders are stepping up their front-office power moves just days after concluding one of the most important drafts in the team’s recent history. And in the process, they’ve just raided a rival that is already losing staff. Sean Payton’s Broncos have noticed a concerning offseason trend: his staff and talent are being taken from them left and right. From assistants leaving town to scouts jumping ship, Denver’s once-tightly held infrastructure is beginning to crumble. The Raiders have now entered the building and seized something Payton could hardly afford to lose: a crucial designer for the Broncos’ draft room.

Raiders general manager John Spytek isn’t wasting time reshaping the front office to his preferences, even if it’s only four days after his first draft in silver and black. In a well-thought-out move, Las Vegas appointed veteran Broncos executive Brian Stark as its new assistant general manager on Wednesday.

Stark is more than a simple clipboard guy. He helped create several Broncos draft classes since 2016 while serving as Denver’s director of college scouting for the last eight years. During his 13 seasons with Denver, he assisted in managing the team’s transition through several coaching and front office changes, including the hiring of Sean Payton. Stark developed his resume in college before becoming a mainstay in NFL scouting rooms. He has spent more than 20 years bridging the gap between Saturdays and Sundays. From coaching quarterbacks at Yale to acting as offensive coordinator at San Diego State. He was a vital asset to Payton because of his background, but now he is a major loss.

This is only the most recent in a string of staff leaving Sean Payton’s organization since February. The Broncos have lost special teams assistant Chris Banjo (Jets STC), tight ends coach Declan Doyle (Bears OC), passing game coordinator John Morton (Lions OC), and now one of their best college minds in Stark. Payton tried to play it cool, saying, “I’ve always said that you want to see your assistants do well. We tried to, if possible, promote from within, and then in certain cases hire from outside if we have to. I’m happy for all of those guys.” But there’s no denying it’s a hit to Denver’s depth chart — in the meeting rooms.

In addition to Stark, Johnathan Stigall was also hired by the Raiders to serve as assistant director of college scouting. Stigall has 26 years of NFL experience, including more than ten years with the Jets, most recently. Las Vegas now has a strong scouting infrastructure thanks to the Spytek-Stark-Stigall triangle. Which is intended to help resurrect a team that hasn’t had postseason consistency in 20 years.

While Sean Payton keeps losing staff, Spytek pulls off a major roster shake-up

The football landscape in Las Vegas was rocked by yet another quiet shift.  The Raiders created space for a new endeavour. By acquiring 6’6″, 348-pound former rugby sensation Laki Tasi from Goodna, Australia. From almost 450 pounds to an excellent rugby league player in Samoa to a pro day star in the NFL’s International Pathway Program. Tasi’s ascent has been swift.

The Raiders dismissed Nigerian defensive end David Ebuka Agoha. Who had been acquired through a similar scheme to make way for Tasi. The release of Agoha signals the end of an experiment. That was formerly backed by Pete Carroll, the former coach of the Seahawks. Who was a strong supporter of international talent acquisition and globalising the sport?

Laki Tasi is more than simply a novelty; he is the type of tangible unicorn that teams adore creating. Scott Pioli claims that he has the “makeup to play in the trenches.” With a unique combination of strength and agility, his arms measure 34 inches. He is the Raiders’ newest unfinished project. Following in Jordan Mailata’s footsteps, at the age of 21—but only if he stays.

The AFC West is already drawing battle lines, even though the regular season is still months away. The Raiders are changing the definition of rebuilding by scouting rugby monsters and stealing scouts. And with Sean Payton losing his lieutenants and Pete Carroll’s influence subtly shifting through roster decisions. The game isn’t just on — it’s getting personal.