The Las Vegas Raiders have officially started a new era with Klint Kubiak as the team’s head coach. Kubiak earned the job because of his work as an elite offensive coordinator, and that was on full display last season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Kubiak’s play calling helped Seattle win the Super Bowl, and it also helped Jaxon Smith-Njigba establish himself as arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. And while Kubiak also got production out of the tight ends, an aging Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed, Smith-Njigba was the crown jewel.
While the Raiders don’t have a wideout the caliber of Smith-Njigba, Kubiak believes Las Vegas has a receiver with some similarities to the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year. That receiver is veteran Tre Tucker, and the first-year head coach raved about him after the team’s OTA practice on Wednesday.
Las Vegas Raiders HC Klint Kubiak all but compares Tre Tucker to Rashid Shaheed
After talking about how impressed he’s been by Tucker, Kubiak was effectively asked if the Raiders receiver reminded him of Smith-Njigba. He hesitated for a beat before confessing yes. Kubiak said that it’s not fair to say that out loud, but argues that the similarities have been too present to ignore.
"Sometimes, that's not fair to say out loud. But when you got a guy that's that size and that competitive and works that hard, there's not a whole lot of humans on the planet that can put as many yards on the field at that high of a speed. So, he's been really impressive."Klint Kubiak on Tre Tucker
Kubiak praised Tucker’s trademark speed, but went on to call the receiver a quiet leader. The head coach emphasized that the team will put Tucker in a leadership role. The offensive play caller also made it clear that the receiver has to be a playmaker for the Raiders.
Acknowledging what Tucker has already done in his career, Kubiak says it’s time to see what else they can get out of the receiver. In three seasons in Las Vegas, Tucker has played in 50 games, catching 123 passes for 1,566 yards and 10 touchdowns.
That production is why it’s unfair to compare him to Smith-Njigba, because the latter put up those numbers in one season last year, catching 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, Kubiak is the one who spent time working with the receivers every day, so if anyone knows, it’s him.
Additionally, Tucker has improved his production each season and is coming off the best year of his career in 2025 with 57 catches, 696 yards, and five touchdowns. Now, with Kubiak running the show, Tucker is hoping to take his game to an even higher level.
He may never reach Smith-Njigba's level, but it is promising that the Raiders' new coach even sees shades of him in Tucker.
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