Sportsnaut
Could the Las Vegas Raiders have re-signed defensive anchor Robert Spillane for less than he got in free agency? A team insider claims the new front office blew a fantastic opportunity.
“I know this. [Spillane] wanted a deal, and the Raiders could have gotten him for less than what he signed for in New England had they been proactive,” Hondo Carpenter claimed on a new edition of his “Raiders Insider” podcast. “They knew kind of where he was going to settle and get paid. And where they thought is where it ended up. They were willing to take less, but the Raiders were not proactive, and it was a major blunder.”
Over his two seasons in Las Vegas, Spillane became a key member of the defense. Posting 148 tackles in 2023, then a career high of 158 tackles this past season. Carpenter claims that as the organization switched front offices from a regime led by Tom Telesco to the current group headed by John Spytek, Spillane was lost in the shuffle. And at least five teams pushed hard to sign him once free agency opened.
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In the end, the seven-year veteran took a three-year, $33 million deal to rejoin former coach Mike Vrabel with the New England Patriots. It is a number the Raiders could have matched. However, Spytek passed on that opportunity. According to Carpenter, that decision enraged quite a few inside the Raiders organization.
“I can’t fathom what the thought process was [to not sign Spillane],” Carpenter said. “But I’ll tell you this, there were a lot of people in that organization not happy when Robert left. That’s just the reality of the situation.”
Fortunately for Las Vegas, they were able to sign Cincinnati Bengals veteran Germain Pratt to fill the void left by Spillane this upcoming season.
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