When the Las Vegas Raiders sent Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday, they didn’t just acquire two first-round draft picks. They signaled that the franchise has finally learned how to navigate a rebuild.

General manager John Spytek turned a disgruntled defensive end who has undergone eight surgeries in seven seasons into a haul that can accelerate the team’s turnaround. Crosby, still in his prime, likely won’t be playing at an elite level by the time the Raiders are ready to contend.

The final verdict on the trade won’t be known for years, but the process—from start to finish—was handled with a professionalism that has been absent in Henderson for too long.

A patient approach

The Raiders identified a coaching target in Klint Kubiak and waited through a Super Bowl run without panicking. They committed to securing the No. 1 overall pick. They cleared salary cap issues and now have more offseason resources than any other team.

Spytek managed Crosby’s discontent behind the scenes, making the right public comments while seeking the best deal. The result: a massive return for a depreciating asset at the optimal time.

Rock bottom, then a reset

While some might blame Spytek for the team hitting rock bottom last season, that misses the point. Hitting bottom was necessary. The previous arrangement with Pete Carroll was never the right fit—Spytek and Carroll were on different timelines, preventing Spytek from starting the rebuild a year ago.

Now it’s Spytek’s show, and he has shown the traits of a leader who can pull off a rebuild. Competence is a boring word but a meaningful trait—one the organization has struggled to clear in recent years. Spytek has put himself in position to build something special, though plenty of hard work and land mines remain.