Since John Spytek took over as the Las Vegas Raiders‘ general manager, he has worked hard to fill the front office with as much talent as possible. This has led to him poaching executives from teams like the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles.
Now he’s looking to the college ranks to continue beefing up the front office. Notre Dame’s director of recruiting logistics, Jourdan Blake, announced on his Instagram page that he’s leaving the Fighting Irish to take a job as a player personnel assistant for the Raiders.
Blake was only with Notre Dame for a year and was previously at Colorado working with Deion Sanders. He also worked in recruiting at SMU and TCU. He played cornerback at Baylor and SMU before transitioning to recruiting.
Blake is still a young executive, but he’s an interesting name for Spytek to add. He clearly knows the college game well, so he should be valuable when it comes to the draft, but he’ll need to learn the NFL game. Spytek wants to bring in some young front office talent to go with his more veteran additions. It’ll likely take time for Blake to make a name for himself, but he has a lot of potential.
Spytek Knows Raiders Are Still Building
For the first time in a long time, the Raiders seem headed in the right direction. They have a No. 1 pick quarterback on the roster and a dynamic young head coach.
However, the roster isn’t where it needs to be quite yet. Spytek is happy with the progress of the team, but knows there’s still work to do.
“I think we’re building, but I don’t think in the NFL that process ever stops,” Spytek said after the draft. “Obviously, getting Fernando (Mendoza), who we need to help develop into a great, franchise-level quarterback, is a big add. Every franchise is looking for that. But I think we’re all excited about the young talent in the building. Brock Bowers. Ashton Jeanty. We’ve still got Maxx (Crosby). We added some great linebackers.
“But to me, if you think you’ve reached the finish line or even that you’re on your way, I think you’re doing it wrong.”
Spytek Doesn’t Want a Repeat of Last Year
Spytek had to be feeling the heat after his first season as the Raiders’ general manager. The team was the worst in the NFL, and owner Mark Davis isn’t afraid to fire general managers after one season.
It was a trying year for Spytek, which is something he hopes he doesn’t have to deal with again.
“I never want to go through that again, ever,” Spytek said of having the worst record in the NFL last season. “But, I’m grateful for the things that we learned along the way.”
Another season like 2025, and Spytek might be looking for a new job next year. Fortunately, it seems like the Raiders are set up to at least be slightly improved this year. As long as the team isn’t a total disaster, Spytek should be safe.
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