Rampant instability and annual resets have become old hat for the Las Vegas Raiders. The last head coach to be in place for more than 26 games was Jon Gruden, and John Spytek is in line to be the first general manager to complete two seasons since Mike Mayock.
Hopefully, driven by better alignment between Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak, that will change, starting now. When it comes down to it, beyond making the right decisions, of course, everything else flows from stability and ideal alignment between the top two people in the football operation.
When's the last time the Raiders had that, at all or for very long? Jack Del Rio and Reggie McKenzie?
Las Vegas Raiders get lofty acknowledgement for core offseason moves
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton has ranked the 25 best moves from the 2026 NFL offseason. He broke them up into categories marking every five moves and, of course, the higher potential impact, the higher we get in the ranking.
In Moton's top five are two moves that the Raiders made this offseason. First up is No. 5, in the category of "Franchise and Season-Altering Moves."
"The Las Vegas Raiders' hiring of Klint Kubiak could be somewhat comparable to the Chicago Bears' hiring of Ben Johnson last offseason. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza doesn't have a year of experience as Caleb Williams did, but Las Vegas has an innovative play-calling head coach who's coming off a Super Bowl victory with the third-ranked scoring offense. Kubiak can optimize the talent of All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers and 2025 first-round running back Ashton Jeanty right away."Â
If Year 1 of the Kubiak experience even closely compares to Year 1 of the Ben Johnson era in Chicago, Raider Nation will rejoice, and rightfully so. And there are certainly some parallels that can be drawn.
At No. 2 on Moton's list is the second core move of the Raiders' offseason.
"You can make the case that the Las Vegas Raiders had the best offensive signing of the offseason, locking three-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum into a three-year, $81 million deal. In 2015, the Raiders signed center Rodney Hudson, who played a big role in solidifying a top offensive line group dubbed (Derek) Carr Insurance. Linderbaum can do the same for a unit that will eventually protect No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza."
Any idea about improving the Raiders' offensive line this offseason had to include a big move or two, and they went all-in to make Linderbaum the literal centerpiece of that effort in Kubiak's offense. At 26 years old, he could be that anchor of the offensive line for the next decade.
It has been rare to see the Raiders be highly praised for any offseason move lately, let alone land two moves in anyone's league-wide top-five moves from a single offseason. But if a turnaround is going to come, Kubiak and Linderbaum will naturally be two of the leading figures.
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