The Las Vegas Raiders' mission this offseason can be boiled down to just one simple sentence: Build a team and coaching staff that can develop and support Fernando Mendoza.
That's it.
If the Raiders cannot find a head coach and offensive coordinator who have synergy with Mendoza, then it was a bad coaching cycle. If they cannot bolster the offensive line and add more offensive firepower to help him out, it was a bad draft and free agency.
Things don't have to change overnight. In fact, it's a longshot that they actually will. But the proper gears need to be set in motion ahead of the 2026 NFL season, and that starts with nailing the head coach and offensive coordinator hires.
Based on some recent reports, minority owner Tom Brady may have an ace in the hole.
Tom Brady could help land Fernando Mendoza a Webb-Kingsbury combo
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Broncos quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Davis Webb, a head coach candidate for Las Vegas and a polarizing option in Raider Nation, may have an ideal offensive coordinator lined up to assist him.
"If Broncos’ assistant Davis Webb gets a head coaching job — he’s in on Baltimore and Las Vegas, possibly Buffalo — one name floated in league circles as a possible OC pairing: Kliff Kingsbury, Webb’s coach at Texas Tech."
This bit of news can be taken in so many directions. Let's start with where Tom Brady factors in.
Brady, who is spearheading the Raiders' head coach search alongside general manager John Spytek, is a longtime close confidant of Kingsbury. The two were teammates on the New England Patriots and have maintained a friendship ever since. Countless stories depict their mutual respect for each other.
As Fowler also noted, Kingsbury has options and is looking for a head coaching job once again. But that feels far-fetched. What if Brady convinces him to come to Las Vegas? Relationships are everything in the NFL, especially the coaching world.
Another prong of this is that Kingsbury and the Raiders have a nefarious history. Kingsbury infamously spurned Las Vegas when he had all but signed his deal to be their offensive coordinator under Antonio Pierce, darting for the Washington Commanders instead.
But Mark Davis doesn't seem like the type to hold grudges. He's not even in charge anymore, anyway. The Commanders had a young quarterback entering the fold at that time, so Kingsbury followed. Now the Raiders do. He could easily be convinced to come to Las Vegas to work with Mendoza.
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Now, the most important tentacle of this potential pairing would be, of course, what it means for Mendoza. The presumptive No. 1 pick this coming April will need to have great coaches in his corner, and both Webb and Kingsbury are two of the best in the business.
Kingsbury helped develop players like Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Jayden Daniels, Johnny Manziel, Case Keenum, Kyler Murray and Webb himself at the collegiate and professional levels. That's an impressive list of quarterbacks that Kingsbury has rubbed shoulders with.
Webb is also credited for the bulk of Bo Nix's development with the Denver Broncos, and the stories about his ability to work with quarterbacks are endless. Kingsbury himself said that he would want his son to play for Webb if he were a quarterback.
Sam Ehlinger stayed on Denver's practice squad instead of going to another NFL team's active roster. Webb was effectively a player-coach for Daniel Jones and the Giants. We've told the stories before. Raider Nation should know exactly who Webb is by this point and what he brings to the table.
Just imagine Webb and Kingsbury, who have worked together before as a player and coach, getting a chance to put their heads together and turn Mendoza, a coveted prospect who has all the tools, intangibles and intelligence to thrive in the NFL, into a franchise quarterback.
Not only does this hire make sense from the standpoint that Brady has a relationship with Kingsbury, Kingsbury and Webb have a relationship with each other, and they'd be practically the perfect pairing to work with Mendoza, but Kingsbury provides some prior head coaching experience for Webb.
Those who oppose Webb as a head coaching candidate in Las Vegas claim that he is too inexperienced and would, therefore, be unable to build an adequate coaching staff for the Raiders. Kingsbury being in play changes that complexion entirely.
The stars are hopefully aligning for Webb to be the next head coach of the Silver and Black. The brass let Jesse Minter leave the building, and nobody else seems like a favorite in Las Vegas. The operation has been a sealed vault. They could easily be waiting until the Broncos to lose to hire Webb.
Look, hiring Webb, in a lot of ways, would be crazy. But the NFL favors the bold. So, to John Spytek and Tom Brady: Be bold. Hire Davis Webb. Bring in Kliff Kingsbury.
Your chances of hiring the next Sean McVay are incredibly slim. But those odds are zero if you never take the leap.