“He’s a stud. He’s only going to get better. This is just the beginning for him,” Raiders DE Maxx Crosby praised the LB Malcolm Koonce in 2023. It was an overwhelmingly successful year for the linebacker. In 17 games (11 started) in 2023, the LB recorded 3 forced fumbles, 8 sacks, and 43 tackles (32 solo). The AFC West franchise had finally found an edge rusher they could develop. But their hopes came crashing down with a knee injury in practice. The LB missed the entire season. As the 2025 free agency approached, the decision lay in the hands of their GM, John Spytek.

He walked the traditional path. Assess the numbers, talk to the coaches, and get an idea from the film. Koonce was impressive in all of these. In the 2023 Christmas game against the Chiefs, the LB sacked their QB Patrick Mahomes thrice. That gave them enough confidence to keep the linebacker. Koonce signed a 1-year, $12 million extension with the Raiders.

During the March 27 episode of Upon Further Review with Eddie Paskal, the GM John Spytek said, “He’s a guy that can rush the passer, can affect Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix and Justin Herbert six times a year. I mean, hell yeah, we need that. It’s interesting too.” It’s definitely amazing. Malcolm Koonce has only played 39 games. But they will need him to play to his potential to come out on top in an AFC West division that is now loaded with the QB talent mentioned by Spytek.

The Raiders signed a 4-year, $4.99 million rookie deal with the linebacker in 2021 after drafting him in the 3rd round (79th overall). Overall, he has played 3 seasons (2021 to 2023) and played 39 games (11 starters). In those, he has 3 fumbles, 10 sacks, and 55 tackles (40 solo). 2024 may have been a blip, but he certainly made a case for an extension and received one. That’s a wise move by the AFC West team.

Not only their linebacker, even their QB Geno Smith is ready to fight a tough battle. It’s a highly competitive franchise.

Raiders GM John Spytek expecting long run from Geno Smith

The GM had plenty of options. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, and Justin Fields. But the Raiders made the most surprising choice. Geno Smith! It was clear that newly appointed HC Pete Caroll played a big role alongside GM John Spytek in signing the new signal caller. To reunite the HC-QB duo, the franchise traded their 3rd round pick (92nd overall) in the coming draft to the Seahawks.

While talking about it, the GM cleared his stance and said, “When you’ve watched Geno through the years, he can throw the football with the best of any of them, honestly….Listen, we used a late third-round pick to hopefully have our starting quarterback here for years to come. And it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

It was a wise move on their part. They haven’t signed an extension with the 34-year-old, which sends an obvious message. They will carefully monitor his performance this year. If he can take them to the playoffs, the GM John Spytek and HC Pete Carroll will sit down again to discuss the future. For now, they want him to succeed and get the best results. After a 3-14 2024 debacle, they have nowhere to go but up.

It’s the first year for all three of them at the franchise. Spytek is a first-year GM, Carroll is a first-year head coach, and Smith is a first-year QB in the franchise. The entire NFL world is watching them, particularly with Tom Brady pulling the strings as the co-owner. Will their stars align favorably in sin city?