Klint Kubiak accepted the job as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason with the understanding that he could do things his way. And although he is working in close collaboration with John Spytek, Kubiak gets to teach and lead this Raiders roster how he sees fit.
After the first day of voluntary veteran minicamp before the 2026 NFL Draft, an album of photos from the practice was posted on the team website. While fans were excited to see the team's new free agents don the Silver and Black for the first time, they noticed one key thing missing: The Shield.
That's right, Las Vegas' players didn't have the decal of the Raiders' Shield on their helmets; they were plain silver. This spurred a myriad of rumors about Kubiak's intentions, with most theorizing that the team's new head coach wanted the players to earn the right to wear The Shield. Fans were right.
And Ashton Jeanty is a fan of this unusual offseason tactic by his new coach.
Ashton Jeanty defends Klint Kubiak's choice to make Las Vegas Raiders players earn The Shield
During his stream after the NFL Draft, Jeanty addressed Raider Nation's questions about the whole helmet decal situation. Although a lot of fans thought it was gimmicky or ridiculous to make someone like Maxx Crosby earn what is effectively a sticker, Jeanty is seemingly buying into the approach.
"We got to earn that shield," Jeanty said. "In life, everything is really earned, not given. That's (coach Kubiak's) mindset, man. We feel we got to earn everything."
Later in the stream, Jeanty was asked about the helmet decal, or lack thereof, again. He gave a similar answer but noted specifically that he wasn't against the idea at all.
"Yeah, man. I'm not opposed to this because we ain't really done nothing," Jeanty said. "You know what I'm saying? We got to earn it, bro. Like, we got to earn it this year (and) this season."
Jeanty is absolutely right; this Las Vegas team hasn't earned anything yet. They've been widely considered offseason winners, both in free agency and the draft, but none of that matters when they get between the lines. They have to earn it and prove it.
Raiders.com's Paul Gutierrez went into the vault and discovered that the last time the team didn't have helmet decals in offseason workouts was in 2010 under Tom Cable. The team, then in Oakland, didn't light the NFL on fire that year, but they improved from five wins in 2009 to eight wins in 2010.
Based on how last year went, Raider Nation would probably take a .500 season. In fact, that Cable-led season was one of just five in which the team finished .500 or better since 2003. It's not like there's some correlation here, but it's still interesting to note.
Kubiak is trying to set a culture in Las Vegas, and by forcing his players to earn something as simple as a helmet decal, he is laying the foundation. It's unclear just how long this will go on, or whether or not the entire team gets to wear The Shield at once, or if it'll be on a player-by-player basis.
Regardless, Kubiak is trying something different, even if it's a bit unusual. And there are worse things than making players feel like they have to earn things. Jeanty clearly sees the vision, and I'm sure he's not the only one. Let's just hope it translates into results on the field in the next year or two.
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