The Las Vegas Raiders have had an eventful offseason. From hiring a new staff, to the Maxx Crosby drama, to spending the second-most money in free agency and revamping the roster, to Mark Davis setting up a succession plan, there has hardly been a dull moment, as there never is for Las Vegas.
The latter move was recently approved at the 2026 Annual NFL Meeting, with Egon Durban being given the first option to purchase the franchise if the Davis family decides to sell. Of course, Davis' mother, Carol, passed away at 93 last October, leaving Mark as the only living member of the family.
Despite all of these happenings, Davis had not spoken to the media since the day that Klint Kubiak was introduced as the new head coach. That changed on Tuesday, as he addressed what has been a busy month or two for the Silver and Black.
Las Vegas Raiders principal owner Mark Davis weighs in on the franchise's busy offseason
Davis has largely taken on the opposite approach from his late and great father, Al Davis. While the latter was involved in practically every decision made by the franchise up until he passed away in 2011, the former has opted to let football people run the day-to-day operations of the team.
In an interview with Raiders.com's Paul Gutierrez, Davis acknowledged that Durban purchased another 7% of the team with the option to buy the organization if Davis decides to sell, while noting it doesn't change how things are run today.
"Absolutely everything runs exactly the way it's been."Mark Davis on succession plan
He added that the NFL requires owners to have a succession plan in place. Davis noted that his mother's passing, combined with the fact that he doesn't have a wife or kids, made it pivotal that he look elsewhere to set up a plan in case something happens.
While he has always taken a backseat, the principal owner has made it clear that he doesn't have the ego many owners possess. Davis also addressed the Raiders' offseason and how Kubiak and John Spytek have built the roster.
"Well, I'm really impressed with the way John and Klint are working together, along with John's staff and the coaching staff. Having the first pick in the draft is exciting because we kind of control the draft - we get to make the decision on who we're gonna pick."
Davis acknowledged that it didn't work out last time the franchise held the No. 1 overall pick. Of course, that selection will always go down in infamy as JaMarcus Russell is widely regarded as one of the biggest busts of all-time. The hope is that Fernando Mendoza will have the opposite effect.
The Raiders' owner also joked that he was looking for Maxx Crosby and couldn't find him when asked about losing the superstar for three days. He then added that he never wanted the five-time Pro Bowler, whom he has publicly appeared to have a strong relationship with, to leave the organization.
"As I said, I never wanted Maxx to leave, so I'm glad that he's back and I'm glad that we got Tyler Linderbaum. So I think we got out of that pretty well."
Davis noted that the media should talk to Crosby, Spytek, and Kubiak about the two-time All-Pro's future with the franchise. All three have seemingly put an end to trade talk after the superstar edge rusher rescinded his trade request, but you can never say never in this league.
He also spoke with Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he addressed trying to build the franchise the right way since his father passed away.
"Since my dad passed away, I’ve been trying to find a structure and continuity and the right people to run it"Mark Davis
He compared it to the success he has had with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, who have won three of the last four league championships. Davis noted that he plans to find the right people to run things and to get out of the way.
After praising Spytek and Kubiak, the Raiders' principal owner suggested the team won the offseason. He added that he is unaware who the franchise will select No. 1 overall before sharing a harsh reality.
"So I’m really happy. I really am. But, again, we always win the offseason. It’s time that we do it during the season."