The Las Vegas Raiders have a long way to go until their coaching staff is locked in for the 2026 NFL season. Klint Kubiak is reportedly taking the reins as the head man in Las Vegas, but that cannot be made official until after Super Bowl LX. And only after that can things really start to take shape.
Patrick Graham didn't wait around, however. The Raiders' longtime defensive coordinator agreed to take the same role with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Mike McCarthy's staff. Kubiak was likely to bring in his own guy to call defensive plays anyway, but Las Vegas currently has a vacancy there as well.
Losing Graham is a bit of a mixed bag, as his defenses were never elite for the Silver and Black, but the franchise could also do far worse. A change of scenery is probably best for both parties, but only if Graham doesn't take one key assistant with him: Defensive line coach Rob Leonard.
Raiders can't let Rob Leonard be collateral damage of Pat Graham leaving
Leonard has long been praised by the Raiders' defensive line group, both for his teaching ability as a coach and for his leadership style. Fans are fairly mixed on trading Maxx Crosby at this point, but if Leonard is gone, then that may well be the last straw for the superstar defensive end.
With Graham darting for Pittsburgh, Leonard following him is a distinct possibility. After all, Leonard worked with and directly under Graham with the New York Giants from 2016-17, the Miami Dolphins in 2019, and the Raiders from 2022-25. He was even promoted several times under Graham's watch.
But John Spytek made it very clear that everyone on Las Vegas' coaching staff is still under contract. Graham is quickly putting together his Steelers staff, though, and on Monday, The Athletic's Zac Jackson reported that Pittsburgh is hiring Domata Peko as their defensive line coach.
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Now, Raider Nation does not begrudge Leonard a promotion or a change of scenery, but he's done enough in Las Vegas for the fanbase to want him to stick around. That said, several other roles could be available for him with the Steelers, not just the defensive line coach job.
Leonard has coached linebackers before, and he served as the Raiders' run game coordinator in 2025 as well. Graham could bring Leonard to Pittsburgh in any capacity the two may agree to, even if working with defensive linemen has become his specialty.
Kubiak is hopefully going to bring a bright defensive mind to Las Vegas, and ideally, they'll have someone in mind who can get the most out of the defensive line. But until Raiders fans learn who that is, they would, by and large, be happy keeping Leonard around.
Hopefully, Graham and the Steelers' hiring of Peko shut the door on any talks of Leonard leaving. But until things are finalized, anything can happen in the NFL.