The Las Vegas Raiders officially introduced Klint Kubiak as their head coach on Tuesday. The buzz around the hire has been mostly positive, with many claiming that Kubiak, along with projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, will help turn the franchise around.
Of course, Raider Nation knows that getting these two promising pieces in place is just the beginning. This rebuild will be a long journey. Fortunately, John Spytek and Co. are projected to be armed with 10 draft picks and around $100 million in cap space to address the rest of the roster this offseason.
While there is plenty of optimism surrounding the direction of the franchise, not everyone is on board with Las Vegas' future. Former NFL wide receiver Greg Jennings recently predicted that things would not necessarily be an instant success under Kubiak.
Greg Jennings doesn't believe Raiders will quickly turn things around
The Raiders have given fans little to look forward to over the past two decades. Not only has the on-field product consistently been terrible, but the organization has constantly found itself surrounded by drama. There is finally some light at the end of a dark tunnel, however.
The future is beginning to look bright in Las Vegas. Jennings, who spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where Kubiak served as the offensive quality control coach, cautioned against unrelenting optimism during Tuesday's episode of First Things First.
"The ceiling is interesting. I don't even want to put a win total on it. I'm just going to say they're probably going to still finish last in the division," Jennings said. "Klint's my guy. I mean, we have a relationship dating back to my time in Minnesota... That division is tough."
Former offensive lineman Willie Colon did put a win total on his prediction during the same segment.
"On the high side, I could see this being a (6-11) team, and that's just me being positive," Colon said.
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While the Raiders do play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, the same could be said for the Chicago Bears heading into the 2025 season. The prior year, they finished just 5-12 while each of their division rivals won at least 11 games and reached the postseason.
After hiring Ben Johnson last offseason, they were able to win the NFC North in his first year on the job. Of course, there is no guarantee that Las Vegas will be able to do the same in Kubiak's first year, but having a tough division doesn't mean the team can't or won't take a step forward.
Rich Eisen shared a far more optimistic outlook when discussing his expectations for the Raiders.
“I think they draft Fernando Mendoza. They try and figure out free agency before all that. How to get maybe a weapon here or really I'd hit the line in every way. I would hit the line in every possible way. The Patriots hiring Milton Williams last March is a perfect example of how you can change things really fast with the right smart hire in free agency. Hit that line, get the kid, and maybe draft some more weapons. Take a look at what the Bears did too, drafting weapons," Eisen pointed out. "Things can change really fast when you've got a young, smart mind at the head coaching position attached to a young quarterback and also exuding some new sense of confidence and hard-nosed confidence in your building.”
In addition to the Bears, who won five games in 2024, the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars both were four-win teams that won 14 and 13 games, respectively, in 2025. The Raiders, as currently constructed, have a long way to go before legitimately competing in the AFC West.
One strong offseason, however, could change the outlook of next year entirely, particularly if Kubiak and Mendoza live up to the hype surrounding them. Hopefully, Spytek can surround them with the right pieces to prove Eisen right and both Jennings and Colon wrong.