The Las Vegas Raiders officially introduced Klint Kubiak as their head coach on Tuesday, bringing an end to a long head coach search that lasted over a month and had to wait until the conclusion of Super Bowl LX to complete.
Ultimately, after 22 interviews with 15 different candidates, the front office, driven by John Spytek and Tom Brady, landed its top target in a move that should reinvigorate a fanbase that is desperately hoping for a turnaround.
Las Vegas will also hold the No. 1 overall pick after finishing the 2025 season with a 3-14 mark, the fourth-worst record in franchise history. It is widely acknowledged that Fernando Mendoza will be the player selected when the draft kicks off in just over two months.
The combination of Kubiak and Mendoza has certainly led to an increased optimism regarding the future of the Raiders. Skip Bayless entirely heightened those expectations with his latest prediction for how the 2026 NFL season will turn out.
Raiders fans can only hope Skip Bayless' prediction for 2026 comes true
Las Vegas will have a much different look in 2026. While Kubiak and Mendoza will naturally get most of the attention as the head coach and quarterback, the entire coaching staff and roster will be revamped as well in an effort to wipe the slate clean.
The Raiders have plenty of needs and are projected to have around $100 million in cap space and 10 draft picks to address them. During the latest episode of The Arena: Gridiron, Bayless predicted that Las Vegas would simply make some noise in 2026.
"The Raiders are second in cap space, and they have Mendoza, and (Ashton) Jeanty, and (Brock) Bowers, and the second-most cap space. Well, I think they're going to make some noise next year."
He later doubled down, as he labeled the Raiders as a dark horse team to reach Super Bowl LXI. NFL Network's Adam Rank shared a similar sentiment on The After Hour, labeling Las Vegas as a team that can shock the world.
"I currently believe they're going to go all-in. I think they're going to find a way to do something really special this offseason. I know a big piece of the puzzle is Maxx Crosby. I truly believe... you need to trade him away and get as many assets as possible and build up that offense and just go out there and try to outscore some people," Rank said. "And I can see them taking advantage of any schedule... They're not going to win defensive-minded games anyways, so why not go out there and just try to outscore people? And I think that can be very shocking, sneaking in the playoffs."
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Now, going from one of the league's worst teams to the postseason, or even the Super Bowl, in the first year of a new coach is not unheard of. Especially lately. Just this past season, the New England Patriots reached the Super Bowl in their first year under Mike Vrabel after finishing 4-13 in 2024.
Additionally, Liam Coen and Ben Johnson led the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears to divisional titles and postseason appearances in their first season after their teams won four and five games the year prior, respectively.
While the Raiders are still in a tough AFC West, Rank noted that pundits felt the same way about the NFC North before the Bears shockingly won the division in 2025. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken a step back, and the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos aren't exactly Goliaths.
Las Vegas will need to hit on both its free agent and draft class to even think about making such a leap. Kubiak and Mendoza will also need to carry over their previous success into their new roles as a first-time NFL head coach and quarterback.
Even if the team doesn't live up to the expectations set by Bayless and Rank in 2026, Raiders fans should still be optimistic about the direction of the franchise. For the first time in a long time, it appears that the organization is at least trending towards returning to contention.