After 25 years of their team festering in the NFL's cellar, Las Vegas Raiders fans are understandably excited about yet another promising offseason. But Raider Nation is smart enough to know that the Silver and Black have let them down before after seemingly making similar strides in years past.
And for a fanbase of an iconic and historic franchise that is starved for success, it can be difficult to ration that excitement and not want the future to arrive as soon as possible. But under John Spytek and Klint Kubiak, this is an honest-to-goodness rebuild, the first in quite some time.
Because of Graphk Raider, Just Blog Baby recently had the chance to speak with Las Vegas RB Dylan Laube. He talked about his stuttering journey, relishing in a new lease on life under Kubiak and Co., and several of his new and notable teammates, all of which he is incredibly high on.
But Laube also had a message for Raider Nation in the midst of this rebuild ahead of the 2026 NFL season. And it has never been more important for the fanbase to not just hear it, but truly listen to it.
Dylan Laube urges Las Vegas Raiders fans to be patient with new staff
Laube is certainly optimistic about the new era in Las Vegas under Spytek and Kubiak, but he clearly understands the old saying that "Rome wasn't built in a day." In that same vein, the Silver and Black won't turn into a contender overnight, and Laube made sure to straddle that line perfectly:
“Raider Nation: Just be patient. You got to be patient. You got to trust the process," Laube said. "I know I’ve been saying this, I think I’ve said this every single year. But just trust the process. Truly, we got a great plan going on. The offense, the defense, too. We’re such a close group right now, and even though we’ve got a very hard schedule this year, I really think this team is going to take a new turn."
For much of Raider Nation, that is going to be incredibly difficult to cope with. Years and years of struggles have left fans with the desire to win right away, and that is completely understandable. For as far away as the 2026 season feels, the 2027 NFL season feels light-years away.
This message has never been so important to hear, however, not only from the fans' perspective, but at an organizational level. Let's not begin with the end in mind, but rather, focus on growth and development. To enjoy and trust the process.
It seems like the expectation every year for the last decade has been to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card and then be a Super Bowl contender the following year. But with the Raiders' lack of true solutions at quarterback and head coach, that was never going to be possible.
With Kubiak and Fernando Mendoza, however, it is. But again, both of these men are in their first go-around. Kubiak has never been a head coach before, and Mendoza has never been an NFL quarterback or the face of a $10 billion franchise.
Impatience from ownership and Raider Nation has only spurred more turnover and less consistency, which has hindered any ability to build a program the right way. But things are entirely different under Spytek and Kubiak; a legitimate process is in place, and they have the runway to actually take off.
Asking too much of the team and coaching staff too early can be detrimental to their confidence, and ultimately, production. Does that mean that fans shouldn't expect improvement? Absolutely not. This Las Vegas team needs to grow and make tons of strides in Year 1 for fans to keep their belief.
Expecting a playoff run or even being above .500 may be too rich, though. This roster has a lot of promise, and the coaching staff is full of teachers. But there are a lot of new and moving pieces, most of which are young and inexperienced, and it simply can't all come together in one offseason.
As long as the Raiders look improved and have the right process, they'll eventually get there. And it sounds like Laube is already seeing that in the building and urging fans to just hold out hope for a bit longer. He thinks that success will come, but only if everyone is willing to be patient.
And it is hard to argue with someone who is in the foxhole with these guys at Raiders HQ each and every day and getting a first-hand account of the happenings behind the scenes. If Laube, who has gone 7-27 in his two NFL seasons, can still be patient, then the team's supporters can be as well.
Now, that doesn't mean that Laube isn't still maintaining optimism or looking forward to things during the 2026 NFL season. In fact, he has two games on the Raiders' schedule, in particular, that are circled on his calendar.
“Jets is going to be pretty cool because that’s going to be my game back home, and I know I got a lot of fan base on Long Island. I grew up there," Laube explained. "And then New England, too. That’s where I played my best ball. And I got a huge fanbase over there. I was just there a couple weeks ago; I’m always back in Boston. So, I always got love for New England, too. Those two spots, I’m always circling.”
Playing close to home and where you have the most fans is always a rush and a trip down memory lane. A chance to share this dream career with your closest friends, families and supporters. But the Jets matchup is especially cool for Laube because he'll be playing one of his old friends.
"There’s probably five or six guys that are from Long Island in the NFL, so it’s a small group of us," Laube began. "Jeremy Ruckert, who is actually on the Jets, in high school, we shared the “Best Player on Long Island” award. So I’m going to be playing him at MetLife Stadium. That’s going to be a really cool experience there because we played ball against each other all growing up, and now he’s on the Jets, and I’m on the Raiders playing at MetLife at the biggest stadium in the world. So that’s going to be a really cool experience to be in my home crowd, my home with all my family and friends, too.”
That will be an incredible full-circle moment for Laube and his family in Week 8.
But Laube still isn't losing sight of the ultimate goal: Hoisting a Lombardi Trophy. And he is smart enough to know that the Raiders aren't likely to be doing that in 2026, so he is urging the fanbase to buy-in to the new regime and maintain some positivity.
Again, if you somehow missed it before, I'll leave you with the second half of Laube's message for Raider Nation, which is critical to understand for where this great franchise currently is:
"Just trust the process, enjoy it. I’m telling you, Raider Nation, this is a brand-new culture, it’s going to be fun to watch. I am super excited, man. I’m jacked up. I’m just excited, man, so enjoy the process. Come on now!”
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