Why Raiders’ 2026 Plan Could Set Up a Franchise-Changing 2027 NFL Draft

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Raiders are setting themselves up, and after years of dysfunction and instability, the new trend is actually a positive.

Under the leadership of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and GM John Spytek, the Raiders’ 2026 offseason has been methodical. It has been purpose-driven and focused, two descriptions that haven’t been associated with the Silver & Black in a long time.

Coach Klint Kubiak and GM John Spytek flanked by multiple NFL, Raider greats. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Klint Kubiak points the way

When we broke the story that the Raiders had fired Pete Carroll, we told you that Klint Kubiak was at the top of the coaching wish list.

The Raiders were also not going into the hiring process singularly focused, thus missing out on another potential candidate, who, according to one member of the Raiders brain trust, “Blow them away.”

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

In the very first interview, Kubiak fit perfectly with the mindset and approach to the game that John Spytek and Tom Brady share. Despite having to wait for Kubiak because of the Seattle Seahawks’ success, the team continued to interview great candidates, but none matched Kubiak’s fit.

Despite a fan base consistently disappointed and many parts clamouring for the Raiders to hire someone else, risking Kubiak leaving them at the altar and without a coach, Brady and Spytek “Held the line” and waited for their guy.

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) looks on during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

They knew they wanted Kubiak, and the Raiders didn’t settle.

Fernando mania

After the hiring of Kubiak, the Raiders identified Mendoza early last season as a potential quarterback. I reported before the season began that the Raiders were looking at Mendoza, long before he or the idea was popular, and he wasn’t on any first-round projections.

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Spytek, Brady and the elite scouting staff the Raiders have assembled knew the characteristics they liked in Mendoza, and all he did every week during Indiana’s national championship season was get better.

Again, the Raiders’ patience, due diligence and savvy paid off.

The Raiders have their guy.

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Unless someone is willing to do something, “Stupid,” according to a source close to the Raiders’ thinking process, Mendoza will be the Raiders’ franchise quarterback.

Again, like the hiring of Kubiak, the Raiders’ thorough approach has shown up.

With 60% of first-round quarterbacks automatically failing, you look for outliers, mitigating things that hedge against failure. We wrote exclusively earlier this year about NFL executives ranking Mendoza ahead of the 2026 draft.

While only two of the executives listed Mendoza as the best prospect over the past four years, he came out as the most highly graded because of qualities that make him the safest bet for the Raiders, who are constantly looking to hedge bets, ironically in Las Vegas, a town known for that.

As one executive told us about Mendoza, “If I were Mark [Davis] or Tom (Brady), I would make this pick all day and live with whatever comes of it. I love the way he loves to be coached. He craves it, as Tom did. You can’t teach that s---.”

Spytek told us what he wanted in a QB to lead his franchise, and it was essentially a late-night infomercial of everything that is Mendoza.

“Well, a leader, tough as hell, somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer,” he said. “Obviously, somebody who can throw the ball well, but I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything to their teammate, a selfless person, somebody that’s going to give their team everything that they’ve got every time that they’re out there, prepare the right way, lead the right way. I think there’s a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at a high level.”

The Raiders’ savvy in 2026 is setting up the 2027 NFL draft to be franchise-altering.

Reality is a beautiful thing

Feb 10, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis at a press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

I have reported for several weeks that the Raiders are taking the long-term view of fixing the franchise. They aren’t looking for the proverbial rollercoaster of making the playoffs every five years.

Spytek and Brady are committed to making the team competitive every year. To get there, they understand it is a rebuild. The Raiders are going to take their lumps in 2026 and ’27, with the expectation that ’28 will be the year they show up as year-in, year-out competitors.

Spytek all but said this at the NFL combine in Indianapolis last week.

“I think we’re going to build this team the right way, and this league is littered with examples of teams that went from a top-five pick to the NFC championship, the Super Bowl,” he said. “We’ve seen it for the last couple of years. I mean, the Patriots won four games last year, and they were in the big game. The year before, the Commanders picked second and were in the NFC championship game. So, we’re going to build it the right way, and we’ll see what comes.”

2027 NFL draft a landmark opportunity for the Raiders

An NFL executive told us about the Raiders’ plan to take their lumps in 2026 as, “Brilliant. Absolute brilliance.”

He went on to add, “I think 2027 is shaping up to be the best quarterback class in NFL draft history. Imagine this: Seven guys could go, and we don’t know who next year’s Mendoza is. That guy who comes out of nowhere. There wasn’t anybody talking about Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft outside of his relatives at this time last year.”

He emphatically added, “Get your franchise quarterback this year, be aggressive and get those extra picks for players that are going to drop due to no fault of their own, but dumb drafters, and move up, pay less money for them.”

He agreed with the Raiders taking their lumps in 2026.

“I would play every young player in 2026, lose everything, who cares, just let them learn. I would throw a party with each loss if I were a Raider fan.

“With each loss in 2026, your 2027 NFL draft pick becomes more and more valuable. In an NFL draft loaded with quarterbacks (the most important position in football) and with your team already having your guy, can you imagine if the Raiders have the one, two, or three next year and not needing a QB? You could get a haul like Jimmy [Johnson] pulled off with the Vikings for Herschel Walker, and that 2026 season of lumps could change that franchise forever.”

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes former player Jimmy Johnson on the field prior to the game against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Verdict

This season may not be pretty, but the Raiders know what they are doing. They are going to take your lumps, be aggressive and enjoy the fruits of something this franchise hasn’t demonstrated in a long time: patience.

On Oct. 12, 1989, the Cowboys changed their franchise when they fleeced the Vikings. Those picks and players fundamentally changed the Cowboys, and 37 years later, they are still discussed in NFL circles in hushed, reverent tones.

U.S. senate candidate Herschel Walker addresses the media after the Women for Herschel event at Savannah Rapids Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Walker discussed issues such as critical race theory, student loan forgiveness, and inflation. News Herschel Walker Visits Augusta | Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK

An aggressive 2026 season will come with its share of ups and downs, but could be a harbinger of something similar to Oct. 12, 1989, that fundamentally changes the Raiders and propels them to a decade or more of sustained success.

It’s what Al Davis would declare: “A commitment to excellence.”