Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders were just hoping for some much-needed stability. The additions of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith were supposed to raise the floor of the team as they continued to stock the roster with young talent and hopefully emerge with a championship core.
The idea was fair, at least in theory.
Instead, what the Raiders got was another offseason of necessary and widespread changes spurred on by a three-win season.
Carroll and Smith are both out after just one year, and the team looks ready to turn the page. Into the maelstrom steps Klint Kubiak, fresh off raising the Lombardi Trophy as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, Raiders fans are buzzing in anticipation of the NFL debut of first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, the national championship-winning quarterback out of Indiana who signed his rookie contract on Thursday.
Along with a slew of new coaches and talent, the Raiders find themselves searching for a different identity in the hopes of finally reaching the next stage of what has been a long rebuild. To make sense of it all, here are five questions worth considering before veterans report to training camp on Tuesday.
How “real” is the quarterback battle?
Note the quotations in that question, as the final answer is likely Mendoza at some point.
Where the question lies is just how long the Raiders remain patient until they decide to give the first overall pick control.
Joining Mendoza in the remade quarterback room is Kirk Cousins, a longtime veteran with knowledge of Kubiak’s scheme from the coach’s time as offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings during the 2021 season. While Kubiak has denied reports that Cousins’s role in the organization is to serve as a mentor to Mendoza, having that prior knowledge makes him an excellent resource all the same.
Cousins starting games in September may sound unpalatable to Raiders fans tired of watching veteran retreads, but it is also the plan that makes the most sense. Mendoza is the quarterback the Raiders hope guides them to glory for the next decade and potentially more, and the last thing they want or need is another JaMarcus Russell on their hands where he’s trotted out before he is even close to a finished product.
However, if Mendoza gets hot out of the gates at training camp or outperform Cousins during preseason, the Raiders will be under enormous pressure to make the change. How they navigate a situation that is much trickier than at first glance will go a long way towards establishing just what the succession plan under center is.
Is Kubiak the guy to take the offense to the next level?
Right now, Kubiak finds himself in a position where the Raiders’ offense is more parts than production.
Regardless of who the quarterback is, they will have what looks like a solid supporting cast on paper at their disposal. Brock Bowers has already established himself as one of the best tight ends in the league, while Ashton Jeanty is hoping Year Two as the lead running back goes a lot smoother.
Where questions begin to arise is what lies beyond those two.
Tre Tucker is still the top dog in the wide receiver room, but the Raiders have spent the last couple of season reshuffling the deck behind him. Last year’s rookies in Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. are still in need of defined roles on the offense, and a new wrinkle was added in the form of free agent signing Jalen Nailor.
With only so many touches to go around, Kubiak will need to formulate a strategy early on that makes everyone at least somewhat of a threat instead of giving opposing defenses reason to key in on Bowers and Jeanty. Speaking of which…
Can Jeanty deliver on his potential?
Last year was not the one Jeanty or the Raiders had in mind for him, and the sad part about it all is the fact that it was barely the running back’s fault.
The offensive line was one of the worst in football last year, with the startling majority of Jeanty’s rushing yards coming after first contact. Coaching barely helped either, as then-offensive coordinator Chip Kelly seemed more focused on changing the running back’s stance out of the backfield in the early days of training camp and ultimately did not last the 2025 season. Jeanty was forced into a sub-optimal spot in his rookie season and was simply unable to rise above the struggles around him.
With that disappointment now behind him, there is at least plenty of reason to be more optimistic about Jeanty this time around.
The offensive line received serious investment this season, and the offense itself should be more geared towards giving Jeanty the breathing room he lacked last year. The Raiders have also reinforced their belief in him, with fourth-round rookie Mike Washington Jr. serving as the only competition for snaps. Kubiak has full freedom to plug Jeanty into any situation, so the role he takes into Year Two is firmly in his jurisdiction.
Everything is pointing towards a hypothetically better season for Jeanty, but there is mild concern that the hypotheticals should not exist for someone of his talent.
Have last season’s problems been fully addressed?
Through a combination of inconsistent play and mismanagement, the offensive line was a disaster last season for the Raiders.
Give credit to general manager John Spytek for noticing the problem and not sitting on his hands, going after the top free agent offensive lineman on the market in center Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum and a healthy Kolton Miller should at least be stabilizing forces, but an open competition is expected to be held at both guard spots and right tackle. Currently, all indications lean towards free agent pickup Spencer Burford, Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze to get the nod to start Week One, but a trio of third-round picks in the last two years in Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant and Trey Zuhn III could easily force an issue.
On the other side of the ball, longtime defensive line coach Rob Leonard is finally at the helm, Maxx Crosby is back despite an offseason saga involving a failed trade to the Baltimore Ravens and the team has loaded up to provide some much-needed punch behind the perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher.
The Raiders added Kwity Paye and third-round rookie Keyron Crawford to create one of the deeper edge rotations in the NFL. On top of that, the team added the two top linebackers in free agency in Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to bolster the middle of the defense. The secondary has also been rebuilt, with the Raiders acquiring slot cornerback Taron Johnson from the Buffalo Bills and a slew of rookies for immediate depth, most notably Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy.
With all of these new pieces, training camp represents the best opportunity to assign roles and create chemistry early on.
What is a reasonable expectation for the 2026 Raiders?
Needless to say, the Raiders are hoping this is the last offseason of upheaval they face for a long time.
That said, they are still in a time of transition for their franchise. While the infusion of youth suggests a core coming out of a rebuild, throwing money around in free agency and adding pieces with championship pedigree suggest the Raiders have higher aspirations. In an AFC West loaded with talent, however, achieving those lofty ambitions will prove to be a tall task.
The expectation should be marked improvement across the board, but it is where the Raiders see themselves that will gauge the measure of success.