The Las Vegas Raiders have entered a season of change. Not only did they bring in Klint Kubiak to serve as the new head coach, but the hiring of that young, first-time leader signified that the Raiders are preparing for a long and arduous rebuild. Patience will be essential as that process drags on.
One would assume that, after a 3-14 season, Las Vegas would clean house on the coaching staff and move on from as many players as possible to usher in a new era. But Kubiak bucked that trend by actually promoting defensive assistant Rob Leonard to the defensive coordinator role.
Much has been made about Leonard's relationship with Maxx Crosby, whose status is a hot-button topic within Raider Nation right now. But fans should also fix their attention to how this hiring changes Malcolm Koonce's complexion with free agency coming up.
Raiders' Rob Leonard promotion could keep Malcolm Koonce in Las Vegas
After a breakout campaign in the latter half of the 2023 season, Koonce seemed like the Crosby complement that Las Vegas had been waiting for. But an injury took away his chance to build on that in 2024, and he looked like a player coming off a major injury in 2025, though he showed flashes.
Most expected that, with a great edge rusher class set to be available in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Koonce's projected market value hovering around $10 million per year, general manager John Spytek would let him walk in free agency. That perhaps a change of scenery was best for both sides.
Not to mention, the free agent market is set to be robust with talented players in every price range, from Trey Hendrickson and Jaelan Phillips to Boye Mafe and Al-Quadin Muhammad. But Leonard's familiarity with Koonce may keep him in the building, at least for a little longer.
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At a minimum, as the coaching staff and front office work together to evaluate talent, the Raiders will revisit the Koonce discussion more fervently than they previously planned to. That said, Leonard's exposure to Koonce could also work against him. Maybe the two aren't a great match.
After all, Koonce has really only contributed one half of a great season in his two healthy years under Leonard. Maybe Koonce is the one who wants to find another place to develop or get out of the shadow of Crosby. Leonard's coaching and teaching style may not actually work for him.
But while everyone is drawing parallels between the Leonard hire and Crosby's current situation, Koonce, who seemed like he was hanging on for dear life in Las Vegas, just had a life jacket thrown to him by the Raiders. If he remains with the team, it's safe to say that it was because of Leonard.