We all know the story of The Tortoise and The Hare. The hare was much faster and sprinted out of the gates, leading everyone to believe that it would handily win the race. It mocked the tortoise for being much slower and ignored that it was actually being more methodical. Famously, the tortoise won.
And the Raiders should be the tortoise.
Instead of trying to solve all of their problems in one offseason, the Silver and Black need to be patient with this rebuild. Incremental improvement is much better than starting the 2026 NFL season as a supposed contender, but eventually falling flat because they didn't really build a true winner.
In that vein, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport wrote about what he perceived to be "realistic expectations" in 2026 for each team with a new coach. Klint Kubiak's Raiders? A 6-11 record. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think that would actually be a big win for the franchise.
Raiders going 6-11 in Klint Kubiak's first year would be great step in right direction
Improvement is improvement. If Las Vegas, led by Kubiak, met those "expectations," then they would not only double their win total from the previous year, but they'd also be fairly well-situated in the 2027 draft to land another game-changer near the top of the board.
Davenport explained his reasoning:
"There likely isn't a team that will look more different this year than last than the Raiders ... The Raiders have been one of the most active teams in free agency. They also possess the first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. There's also a new head coach in Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak," Davenport explained. "Kubiak is a keen offensive mind. After adding multiple big-name free agents like center Tyler Linderbaum and linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean, the Raiders appear headed in the right direction. But this is also a team that will likely be rolling out a rookie quarterback in Fernando Mendoza. The team's No. 1 wide receiver right now is new signing Jalen Nailor."
Davenport is exactly right -- that is a lot of moving pieces and question marks. Yes, on paper, the Silver and Black made tons of great moves and should be much improved, if it all works out. But they still have plenty of holes to fill, and they can't do it all in just one draft and free agency period.
Off the top of my head, the Raiders still need a backup quarterback, a complementary running back to Ashton Jeanty, a true No. 1 wideout, at least some competition at right tackle, depth on the offensive line, a starting nose tackle and free safety, and depth throughout the defense.
Can the Raiders win six games with the talent that they currently have? Absolutely. Perhaps even more. But simply taking a step in the right direction should be the goal. Kubiak and John Spytek have some runway to get this thing off the ground; they don't need to be in a massive hurry.
Building something that lasts is far more gratifying for fans, at least in the long term, than building something that looks perfect right away. Raider Nation would take two or three more unsatisfying seasons if they could rest assured that a Lombardi Trophy was on the other side of that struggle.
Davenport left fans with a bit of harsh reality, at least in his view, and it is perfectly fine. Doubling last year's win total and still having a premier draft pick in 2027 may be the best of both worlds and a necessary step in the arduous process of building a sustainable winner.
"Rome wasn't built in a day—doubling last year's win total isn't going to make Raider Nation happy, but that's about as good as it will realistically get."
Forget about the hare! He lost anyway.