The team owner shared his expectations for the 2026 season despite the franchise's turbulent offseason.
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The Las Vegas Raiders have spent years searching for the formula that will allow them to compete in the NFL again. Under Mark Davis, the franchise has constantly changed head coaches while carrying one major unfinished task: winning a playoff game.
This time, Davis decided to take a different approach, putting general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady in charge of finding a coach who could give the team a new direction. They settled on Klint Kubiak, who now has the responsibility of ushering in a new era in Las Vegas.
The rebuild also includes a player who has the organization particularly excited. The Raiders held the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft and selected Fernando Mendoza, a quarterback viewed as the franchise's future, although the team appears determined not to rush him onto the field.
That's why they signed Kirk Cousins, a veteran quarterback who is no longer the dominant player he was in his prime but can still provide experience and stability while Mendoza continues his development.
And so far, Cousins has impressed Davis.
"But all I see is him finding open guys and getting the ball to them," Davis said. "Kirk Cousins is looking really good. He's a pro quarterback.
It's the Tom Brady effect.
Davis also remains high on Aidan O’Connell, meaning the Raiders believe they have three legitimate quarterbacks capable of competing.
"We've got three legit quarterbacks on the roster," Davis said.
Kubiak isn't making exceptions for his stars
Cousins had been working with the first-team offense for much of training camp, but he was recently held out of practice after getting into an altercation with defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Kubiak's response was immediate: He decided to hold both players out of the following practice.
“We have very clear expectations on how we want to practice and how we want to go about our business, and we violated that yesterday, so (we) held those guys out,” Kubiak said. “That’s all I’m gonna say about it.”
The message was clear. Both Cousins and Crosby are considered candidates to become team captains, but Kubiak made it clear that the rules apply even to his biggest stars.
Mark Davis is starting to believe in a new era
The Raiders have spent more than two decades away from the NFL's elite, a drought that has also put Davis under scrutiny for his decisions when hiring coaches and general managers.
But the owner feels that something is different this time.
"This is my 15th year in charge and we haven't gotten it right yet," he said. The Raiders have only made the playoffs twice since their appearance in the 2002 Super Bowl.
"But this year feels good. Like I said, football is cyclical. In 15 years, we might have gotten it right. And I say 'we,' not 'me.' Because it's a team effort. It's about the 'we.'"
Davis' words still need to be backed up on the field. Kubiak is entering his first season as a head coach, while Mendoza is just beginning his NFL journey, leaving plenty of questions surrounding the project.
But if both live up to expectations, the Raiders may have finally found the pieces they need to put years of frustration behind them and build a competitive team for the long term.