1 Thing the Raiders' Future Will be Built On

The Las Vegas Raiders will spend the next few weeks of the offseason laying the foundation of a new regime.

Cousins' Plans

The Raiders have more than a few new pieces they will be meshing together in 2026. Along with Klint Kubiak and his coaching staff, the Raiders have added players they believe can help them on the field. However, it will take them becoming closer as a team off the field to ensure that happens.

Kirk Cousins recently explained how critical it will be for Las Vegas to work together.

“I think it's hard in pro sports these days with free agency. You bring in 90 guys, and you cut it down to 53, and so pro sports is not really built to be together very long. In college, you had five years and the nucleus of the team was together for a long time. But in today's pro sports world, you have to really find a way to kind of pull together quickly,” Cousins said at his introductory press conference.

“So, it's even more challenging as a leader, as a relationship builder, to do that on a shortened amount of time and in a short window, but that's the goal and the challenge, and I think we play better and we're more likely to win if we are playing together and we do know each other well.

“That's something that OTAs is about, is getting around each other. Certainly, the X's and O's and the body work are important, but I think the relationship building is right up there as one of the pillars of why we want to be here and getting the work in."

The Raiders will enter the 2026 with a blank slate, as it is hard to guage what they will be during the regular season, at this point in the offseason. The sheer number of moves the Raiders have made and will make over this offseason leave a lot to the imagination at the moment.

Yet, it is clear and fair to expect the 2026 Raiders to be better than the 2024 and 2025 Raiders were. Las Vegas needs many things to go their way, but they must control what they can control. Most of that control is with their coaching staff and roster, which they are in the process of revamping.

As the Raiders look to rebuild, many players will come and go. However, many players on the roster are core players and are likely to be around a while. The 2026 and 2027 seasons will be about forming a solid foundation for their rebuild. They have plenty of time to connect, while putting in the work.

Cousins may or may not be with the Raiders past the 2026 season. However, he will play a vital role in helping the Raiders' front office get the ball rolling on their rebuild. Las Vegas' front office has made moves this offseason with the organization's future years down the road in mind.

The Raiders' front office is betting on a decent portion of the roster being together for at least the next few seasons. Las Vegas must build back better than they were before, it will take more than a new coaching staff and roster for that to happen. It will take a team that is connected.