Hour 2: Raiders GM John Spytek, Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion, plus Steelers’ Rodgers Waiting Game

0:00For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com.

0:30Rich Eisen:Right now at the Home Depot, shop Spring Black Friday savings and get up to 40 % off, plus up to$500 off select appliances from top brands like Samsung. Get a fridge with zero clearance hinges so the doors open fully, even in tighter spaces in your kitchen. And laundry that saves you time, like an all-in-one washer dryer that can run a full load in just 68 minutes. Shop Spring Black Friday savings, plus get free delivery on appliance purchases of$998 or more at the Home Depot. Offer valid April 9th through April 29th, U.S. only C-Store online for details. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody.

1:04Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This, this, this is the Rich Eisen Show Now we're down on the run out, game one, a dunk Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles Earlier on the show NFL draft prospect Fernando Mendoza Coming up Raiders general manager John Spitek NFL draft prospect Casey Concepcion The ringer NFL draft analyst Todd McShay And now it's Rich Eisen.

2:00Rich Eisen:Hour number two, the Rich Eisen Show on the air. Draft week is underway right here on this program on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio, Coast to Coast, and Sirius XM Channel 80. Todd McShay of The Ringer is going to be hanging out with us in hour number three. Casey Concepcion is going to be joining us in hour number two. We already talked with Fernando Mendoza in hour number one. We'll chat with you too. 844-204-RICHES. The number to dial our Overreaction Monday podcast is already in the books. It's out there on the Rich Eisen Show YouTube page, youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show. But let's kick off our number two with a man who is equally as excited about those who cut down the nets in Indianapolis, Indiana a couple of weeks ago.

2:41Rich Eisen:I say go blue to Mr. Silver and Black himself, the general manager of the Raiders, John Spitek, joining us here on the program. How are you doing, John? Good to see you. Go blue indeed. It's great to be here. Always great spending time with Michigan men. Hey, I'm with you too, sir. I'm with you. Yes, sir. I hope Albert Breer is watching right now. This is way better than him. Yes. Wow. Shot at Albert. Now, you know what? Albert doesn't follow basketball. Wow. He doesn't know. He's like, what's that sport? I don't know what that sport is. We're not. We're just, they have just a football school over there.

3:11Rich Eisen:Yeah. He's an Ohio State cherry picker. You know, whatever is convenient for him. Ohio State cherry picker. Albert Breer. Write that down. I'm going to use that one against him. uh again uh you were there uh on campus as a freshman if i'm not mistaken when tom brady was a senior correct john that happened back in the day yeah fall fall 99 okay so what was that when was the first time you met tom do you remember that moment at all or not really i i do not remember the first i remember the first time i met steve hutchinson and jeff backus it didn't end well for me but you know how i met um i don't i don't recall that i had a great christmas eve dinner with him in Miami for the Orange Bowl down there where he sat with all the freshmen and kept us sane and happy since it was Christmas Eve away from home.

3:57That's my lasting recollection of Tom Brady. So Christmas Eve shared with him in December of 99.

4:03Rich Eisen:Okay, so you had one of those moments in practice with Hutch and back as you're talking about. Well, on the scout team, I had many moments with Hutch. And at the time, I felt really terrible about myself. But then, you know, 20 years later, he's in the Hall of Fame. I tell my 19-year-old self, don't be so hard on yourself. He's going to end up there one day. I love it. And then, so obviously now you are teamed up with Tom and the rest of the Raiders front office and management team right there with the first overall pick in the draft. And you're kind enough to give the Rich Eisen Show exclusive to tell us who you're drafting on Thursday night.

4:35Rich Eisen:That's what I've been told. So the floor is yours, John. Go for it. I'll pass on that. Okay. We, you'll have your answer in, um, you know, what is it? 72 hours or so. Okay. Change. So where are you? Like, what, what is, what does it look like in your, your draft room right now that you're willing to share on this front, John? You know, we've, we've had a great process with, with our scouting department, with our coaches. And I mean, the board is mostly set right now. And I got ownership meetings coming up here in the next couple of days and we'll just make sure we're all on the same page, um, before we're on the clock on Thursday night, but we're in a great spot right now.

5:08Rich Eisen:walk me through what the ownership meeting looks like that's mark and tom and everybody yeah we got a we got a group and um you know they they play devil's advocate and they like to throw different scenarios at me and we'll just talk it all through and so we know exactly where we're going when we're on the clock to start off the draft here in a couple days but you know i i've always used tom as a sounding board and he's been a great resource to me since um since we got back together in Tampa in the fall of 2020. And, you know, we, we always have great conversations and along with MD as well. And he got in Mike Meldman and, you know, we're just going to make the best decision for the Raiders and the group of us are put in charge of that.

5:47Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, you have Meldman in there just so you can get a good reservation, right? Somewhere. That's pretty much it. Correct. He he's the best. Yeah. Yeah. He's the most generous person I've been around in a long time. And, and my family and I are very grateful. He's a good dude. Yeah. I've been around him here in Los Angeles as well. So we just had Fernando Mendoza on an hour number one, and he just seems like a dream come true, man. He really does. What are you willing to share with us about your experiences in chatting with this young man, John? Well, we've had many touch points with him along the road here over really the past two or three months.

6:21I know the first time we sat down with him was at the NFL Combine. And every step of the way, he's just an impressive young man. You can tell he was raised right. He's got really good values. He loves the game of football. He's super passionate about it. He's a smart kid. He's hardworking. I love the pro day where he took charge of the pro day. He also used it to highlight his teammates too. There's a lot of credit to a guy that has been given the accolades the last several months that he's received, but still humility about him that it's about the team and his teammates, and that's something that Tom and I still talk about a lot, Rich, that will resonate with you, the team, the team, the team, and that's what we're trying to build here, and we're looking for as many men to add to the program as possible that believe in a team-first approach.

7:08Rich Eisen:Yeah, it's a Bo Schembechler line from back in the day, and another word to describe him, too, is tough. I mean, again, we're going to hear, and not that I need to burden you with this, but you understand, as the host of the NFL Draft, saying the name Ohio State four times in the first 10 picks is going to be a tough professional moment for me, but I'll get through it. God bless you. God bless you. But three of those guys in the top 10 potentially were the ones who were, you know, aiming for Fernando in that Big Ten championship game. And he took some tough shots in the chops, man. And I'm wondering if those moments stood out to you as you were grinding tape on him.

7:45Yeah, they did. I mean, I think we all know that the quarterback, there's a lot demanded of the quarterback, but toughness is It's paramount. You've got you've got guys really trying to hit you as hard as they can and get you out of the game legally as often as they can. And, you know, from the first play of the Big Ten championship game to the national championship game where he gets his lip bloodied. He's he's willing to do whatever it takes to win and be out there with his teammates. You know, I think he's got the line red eye dye on the field. I mean, I don't think we're looking for that for many of our players, but toughness is paramount.

8:15And, you know, I think he's he's proven that he's got that both mentally and physically. and that's a huge part of our evaluation process of any player that we're looking at but really

8:24Rich Eisen:the quarterback as well how much has your phone been ringing for your pick atop the draft john it's been pretty quiet after that press conference uh i gave last week that will made me do when i said those teams know where they stand but you know we'll be open to any any um options options have value and we'll be open to anything um but the last several days it's been pretty quiet yeah I bet so because again I mean um obviously everybody's thinking of uh of Fernando and clearly you you are no doubt saying that as well without saying it um and I'll be honest I told him this too he just seems to be so genuine and that post game moment he had on Fox after beating Ohio State and just emoting and being himself um and and just the way he comports himself i'll be honest with you john i thought like he reminds me of kirk cousins a lot and lo and behold who do you go ahead and hire over the last couple of weeks is kirk and i'm wondering if i'm connecting dots here or not i don't know that there's a dot to be connected there but but you know i think we're always looking for people to be you know authentically who they are and regardless of where you fall like out of in a locker room from that standpoint you know that there's an, your authenticity will get you respected.

9:43And when you have work ethic and production that back that up, that resonates with everybody. And I think that's maybe the other thing that we've, we've found with Fernando and many other prospects along the way too, is just, you know, we're looking for them to show us who they are and be themselves. And, you know, we can deal with, with that. And, you know, Kirk obviously has been somebody that I've respected for a long time. He tore us up in Tampa, his two years in Atlanta. I think he threw for 800 yards in two games in 2023, or 2024, one of the, don't quote me on that, but it was tough. And just a lot of respect for Kirk, the player, and still think he's got a lot of good football left in front of him too.

10:22And we're trying to load that room up. It's the most important room in sports, in my opinion. And we're trying to load that room up with people that can play, throw the football, and be real people.

10:33Rich Eisen:Yeah, and competitors like him. And so you know he's going to want a week one start, John. I mean, like, let's not kid each other here. You know he's going to want that. What have you told him about that possibility with the rest of the free football world thinking you're going to take a quarterback first overall? Well, he should want that. I wouldn't want him to come here if he didn't want to start week one. I wouldn't want anybody in that room that doesn't want to start. And, you know, I've had great conversations with Kirk, and he understands he's the most proven quarterback in that room, you know, before we signed him and now that he's here.

11:04And he's going to get a shot to go out there and to be the guy first that takes the first reps. And we'll see what he can do with it. He's obviously got a lot of familiarity in Clint's offense. He's played really good football with Clint being a coach, whether it was the QB coach or the offensive coordinator. And so, you know, of all the guys in that room, whoever comes in, he'll have a leg up in that. But, you know, I said the other day, this is going to be a meritocracy and the best man will play. and even though Kirk is a Michigan State Spartan, which we signed three Spartans here in the offseason and one Michigan man, and I finally signed a Michigan man, and then I offset it with three Spartans.

11:41So I'm not going to hold that against Kirk, though, and I've just got a lot of respect for Kirk, and he's played good football for a really long time, and we're just super excited to have him here in Las Vegas with us.

11:51Rich Eisen:Well, we're expecting you to draft an Indiana man as well, and let's just say you draft a quarterback in this draft, John. would that player also have the chance to be the first starter the week one starter just like cousins the best man will play rich we've got aiden o 'connell too so we've got another big you got a purdue guy i know who's right who once stood in michigan's way you know uh for the big 10 championship game i remember that he he balled out in that game he did he played great against he played great against i think it was the national championship team right and stuff stared down the barrel and played good football.

12:25And Aiden's played a lot of good football in his time here with the Raiders too. And so I'm excited about Kirk and Aiden in that room. I have an affinity for Big Ten players in general. And, you know, we'll have more answers here in the coming days about what other Big Ten men we had.

12:39Rich Eisen:A few minutes left here with John Spitek, whose Raiders hold the first overall pick in the draft right here on the Rich Eisen Show. What is the current status between your franchise, front office, and Max Crosby right now, John? Uh, it's, it's been great. It's, it's really, you know, he, he really never left. I mean, if we look at the actual transaction, um, he's, he's never not been a Raider and, you know, he came in the first day back and sat in my office with me a little bit and we, we talked things through like we always do. I've had a great line of communication. Max and I have had a lot of great conversations since I've been here.

13:16Some of them have been easy when you're, you know, You're giving them a new contract, and some of them have been challenging. But we pride each other, and I think we're always honest with each other. There's been a lot of growth in those conversations as well, and Max is working his tail off. He's going to be ready to rock in training camp, and we expect him to play good football this year for many years to come. Things have an interesting way of working out however they do, and we're thrilled to have Max here with us. He's a great player. He's been a great Raider for a long time. And as we embark kind of on a new journey here with the first pick and the free agent class that we're able to put together, we're excited that 98 is still with us.

13:55Rich Eisen:Yeah, I'm wondering if the free agent class that you were able to put together in between the actual announcement and the transaction, as you referred to it, not really becoming one. Has that is that part of the growth that you're referring to where whatever might have been going down that caused you in the franchise to part ways with Max, albeit unofficially? Has that bridged anything between you and Max? Is that the growth you're referring to, John? No, I don't really think, Rich, there's ever been a bridge needed between at least Max and myself. Need to have to ask him, we were just trying to add really good football players that are good people, and we were able to execute our free agent plan.

14:39And to add Max to that, too, it was almost like getting an extra free agent in there that we, you know, on Monday when the bell dropped, when the bell rang, And we didn't anticipate having Max here, but it just, to us, the way we looked at it, just added another really good player to it. And it makes us feel even better about what we did this offseason.

14:57Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, I'm just trying to figure out, John, here we are in the media. If you don't mind me going here on this front, like the knee that was in question here might have actually led to certain feet in Baltimore growing a colder temperature. Is that fair to say, John? is that fair you know rich i don't really have an opinion on that um oh you you may not want to share it you i mean where where were you when you found this out where physically office okay i was in the office um where mark davis would expect me to be of course and we just took the we took the information as it came and you know i think really in that situation you you deal with the information as it comes and we put a plan together that we were we were excited about and you know we knew that you know always know with the trade you know that there's all kinds of things do you expect the unexpected in the NFL and so I just took it as it came and I think calmly delivered the news to MD and the other ownership group and Clint and okay away we go away you go I mean listen when the downside is you get Max Crosby back I mean that's not a terrible blow you know what I mean so i get it but you were the one who who delivered the information to mark davis like hey mark guess what is that how you is that how it went that's how it went that's how he would expect it to go and okay just walked down there and said hey there you know max is going to pass the physical he's going to be a raider and he said okay and away we went it was pretty simple i know you guys are looking for more but it it you know it's just not the way i am you know i just try to be pretty stoic and flatlined and you know you control what you can control i wasn't always good at that in my life but i've gotten better at controlling the controllables and sure not stressing on the other things and you take the information as it comes and you make the decisions the best you can with the information you have well i guess if you don't mind me asking this part either like what would happen if you didn't have the cap space to take max back based on all the spending that you made right like well that would have presented a different problem right but yeah that would have presented a different problem but we we were we were fortunate to be in a case where we structured things the way we did so we can always have flexibility and versatility in how we do deals and you always want to be ready to to add players unexpectedly whether you know if somebody gets caught or is available via trade that maybe you didn't anticipate you always want to leave yourself some wiggle room in there so you can build the best team possible and we were in a spot where we were able to do that.

17:29Rich Eisen:Yeah, I bet so. And so as of right now and for the foreseeable future, Max Crosby is going to be a week one guy for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026, best you can say. Yeah, absolutely he's going to be. Yep, he's healing up, he's running around, and he's got a lot of good football ahead of him. All right, and then last one for you, Clint Kubiak, what has he shown so far where you're like, okay, right move, check the box, John. Oh, I mean, how much time do you have? But he, you know, hardworking, humble, smart, really good with the team, tells the truth. There's always been, there's always been, already been some examples in team meetings of him holding people accountable and, you know, getting after people that deserve it.

18:16And, you know, we got with us getting a little bit of a head start here, you know, with a new head coach, we get to actually get out on the grass today. So we'll get to see him with the players on the field and move them around and how he conducts a practice, but really happy to have Clint aboard as a partner. And, you know, through the whole draft process, the free agent process, the communication has been outstanding. And I think we're all really excited that Clint decided to join us here in Las Vegas after winning that Super Bowl.

18:41Rich Eisen:And then, again, I lied, last one for you, eight minutes. Obviously, you're going to be one of those who doesn't really care about it because you're just going to be asked to hold on your choice long enough so the television broadcast can have a moment before you hand it in, because I'm sure, or unless you want to wait to see if your phone rings. But how do you think eight minutes is going to affect your colleagues here? Eight minutes in the first round of the draft, John. What do you think that's going to look like? Yeah, I think the trade part might be challenging. I think maybe more of those trades come down to maybe later in the first round, more of those trades are not in place at the start of the day and they're more cognizant or you know reliant on players being available that maybe you didn't expect yes um but you know i we all got our processes down we talk about it we strategize on it we practice it and you've just got to know going in you got two less minutes than you've had traditionally to to get that deal done and push through and everything will be sped up a little bit but if you have a good plan in place and you have a process in your draft room where the you know the right people are talking you're in you're organizing information the right way i think i think you'll be able to get it done no stress john appreciate the time man good to speak good to speak with you good to see you um have a great draft and uh go blue john go blue go blue rich thanks for having me you bet that's the general manager of the las vegas raiders john spitek here on the rich eisen show so in terms of uh whatever he thought about the max crosby deal whatever happened in vegas is clearly staying there.

20:19Rich Eisen:He's not saying anything. Yeah, and I really thought he was going to tell us what was going to happen first. I really thought we were going to break some news here. You know what I mean? We've got an opportunity. Wait a minute. This is a Baltimore area code. I wonder are the Orioles playing today? What's going on in spring training there? Tickets? Yeah, it's Omar calling. You know what I mean? All right. Listen, man, when the downside is you get Max Crosby back, that's a moment like, you know, damn, that's wild. you know okay eric da costa farewell fare thee well we'll take max back and i love that guy you know how i feel about him yeah big fan and by the way raiders fans were like why i don't want to part with him no jay felly's like i love that guy doesn't he have ink he's got ink yeah jay felly has a raider tattoo ink on his left arm he was also willing to cut a give up on them if they rid of max and again uh having kirk cousins there gives them the leeway to do whatever they want with fernando mendoza who as you know could wind up speaking of brady remember brady in year two was the guy who went in to training camp and balled out to the point where when when when when um bledsoe goes down it's like okay this kid was better in training camp maybe he has that moment I don't know, but that was great.

21:42Great insight for the man who's going to be first on the clock in three days from now.

21:47Rich Eisen:Casey Concepcion expected to hear his name sometime on Thursday night. What a fascinating story of this young man out of Texas A &M by way of NC State and his athletic article. He's coming up next.

22:01Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show podcast.

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23:45Rich Eisen:Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for details. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com.

24:23Rich Eisen:back here on the rich eyes and show he's one of the top wide receivers uh to be taken in this year's draft he also wrote a compelling piece about his life um and his life story in the athletic um pardon me the players tribune my bad uh here on the rich eyes and show casey concepcion is on the program good to see you casey how are you i'm doing good man you know man um Just blessed. How you doing? I am doing very well. Thank you. And I read your athletic piece, your first person piece, and you could feel the emotion coming off the keyboard. I'm wondering why you felt compelled to write what you wrote, Casey.

25:05Just, you know, wanting to let everybody know my story. has been, you know, a lot of talk. Who is the best, you know, receiver? And I, you know, honestly feel like, you know, I am the best receiver. I bring the most versatility. I am the best playmaker in this class.