3 Irrefutable Facts About the Raiders That Inspire Hope

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Raiders’ 2026 NFL Draft had barely just concluded, and the focus was not centered on celebrating an impressive haul of new talent; instead, the focus was on the undrafted free agent (UDFA) class and rookie camp.

A message, though not explicitly stated, resonated from the ownership, and the office of General Manager John Spytek and Klint Kubiak: the time for celebrating would come after on-field success; for now, it was the million little things that go into building a champion on the field.

GM John Spytek, Fernando Mendoza, Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The new look Raiders are all on the same page.

With each new addition to the staff, or those retained because they shared the new philosophy, it was unspoken, but clear. In the past, there were celebrations around this franchise for April success (albeit limited), even in March, May, and June.

Apr 24, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks at introductory press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center after being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While those months are critical in building a champion, it is only when you win every month, every week, every day, and every hour that you ultimately build something that leads to hoisting the coveted Lombardi Trophy in February.

Las Vegas Raiders Lombardi Trophies | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, On SI

Don’t mistake this as the Raiders aren’t having fun, far from it, but the joy, the celebrations come later.

Much later.

Three Irrefutable Facts

Nick Saban is fond of saying, “High achievers don’t like mediocre people, and mediocre people don’t like high achievers.”

The greatest college football coach of all time should know. Calling the Raiders of the past twenty-plus years mediocre would probably be kind.

March 30, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Nick Saban greets members of the Stone Building Company construction crew at the Saban Center Topping Out ceremony. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But Mark Davis understands this, which is why he turned to Tom Brady and, subsequently, to John Spytek, Klint Kubiak, and one of the finest management staffs assembled in the NFL.

The Raiders would enjoy the process, but they only want people who see it as enjoyable and who celebrate championships. The new leadership of the Raiders isn’t looking for robots; they aren’t. But they want people who share their “Commitment to Excellence,” not as a slogan, but as a way of life.

During the Antonio Pierce era of the Raiders, a Super Bowl-winning NFL Executive shared with me, after the Raiders held an informal cigar party in the locker room, some telling words.

Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

“I highly doubt Tom [Brady] will say anything publicly, but I just saw the cigars and celebration in the locker room. Maxx [Crosby] is such a great player, it is sad they look at one win that way.”

He continued, “You should be happy and enjoy every win, they are so hard to get in this league and great people work hard for them, but Tom will change that. Enjoy the wins, but the real joy comes with championships.”

Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on the field prior to a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He concluded, “Great ones (Like Crosby) so badly want to see their efforts pay off, with real wins, Vince [Lombardi Trophy] wins, and that spoke volumes to me about how far they have to go. Maxx deserves better.”

Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The Raiders will appreciate each win and see it as a rung on the ladder to a Super Bowl, but since they decided to truly rebuild, they are benchmarks, not milestones.

Fact No. 1: Plan

There is an old adage, “If you work your plan, your plan works.”

George Perles, the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line coach and the inventor of the famed stunt defensive line offset known as the “Steel Curtain,” once said to me, when discussing that adage, “Only if the person making the plans knows where the hell you are going.”

Even before Mark Davis took over the team, the Raiders had lacked clarity. While people famously talked about the past, they spent more time looking in the rear-view mirror than in the windshield.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis | Darrell Craig Harris, On S

I am not suggesting, and no one else is, that the Raiders should abandon or forget the past. Far from it. But what built the past was an unwavering commitment to the future, more championships, more success, not resting with a cocktail staring back at it. That is no longer the case.

The 2025 season was an unmitigated disaster. Dysfunction ruled the Silver & Black, and while no one set out to sabotage the season, it was, at times, a clown car of mistakes and a hard landing for how bad things were in the franchise.

Mar 21, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Founders FFC quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with fans during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While it was a disaster, it was not a death certificate, but rather a wake-up call.

John Spytek, Owner, Mark Davis | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Spytek is a winner. Brady is a winner. 2025 was not indicative of either man.

They knew that the Raiders had to start over. Neither man had any desire to disrespect the past; in fact, both, despite not being Raiders prior to recent times, held the brand in awe and respect for what it had been and what they believed it needed to be. Both men feel entrusted to restore that legacy. They are part of it now.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Former Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady in attendance before Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As one person in the NFL told me, “Those guys are committed to leaving that brand better than they found it. That fan base needs to understand they feel the weight, the enormity of the task, but they are football guys, and they know what that logo means.”

One NFL Executive in Phoenix at the owner’s meetings earlier this year told me, “I think those two (Brady and Spytek) took last year as disrespect to the brand and won’t let that happen again.”

As soon as it was evident that the 2025 season could only be saved if they used it as a foundation for change, not another rock-bottom moment, Spytek went to work.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

No one in the organization pointed fingers.

John Spytek | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Champions aren"t looking to place blame; they want to fix it. Spytek had craved a chance to sit in his own chair as a GM, and he feels the honor that comes with being in the Silver & Black chair.

One of his former players told me for this article, “Spy is about fixing [excrement], winning, that is why he and Brady work so well together.”

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

The Raiders began a deep dive into all that was wrong. Not looking at who they could blame, but for what they could fix.

After a deep soul search, no one blamed Pete Carroll for 2025, and he deserves his share of blame along with everyone else, but they knew what they were and who they were, and a new coach and philosophy was the plan. Top to bottom was the roadmap, not a collective.

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

One page. One map. One plan.

The Raiders entered the last week of the regular season with that plan, and no matter what, they were committed to it.

Fact No. 2: Purpose

John Spytek is not fond of my calling him “Analytical”; he prefers “methodical.” I respect that.

The words to me are semantics, but the methodical GM did what he did in Tampa Bay as he began to orchestrate the Raiders’ rebuild. He was known to bring voluminous amounts of information to Brady each week about that week’s opponent as the two marched towards a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay.

Spytek did the same with Brady and, ultimately, with Davis and the other owners, regarding each step, each course, and the Raiders' plan of action.

Spytek began to explain that the plan was to win championships, but the organization had to go back to valuing each and every rung on the ladder to getting there. A purpose-driven approach to the plan.

The Iconic Helmet of the Las Vegas Raiders — Las Vegas Raiders Iconic Helmet | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, Sports Illustrated

It wasn’t just hiring a coach and praying one free agent could fix it. It was winning every day.

The plan was to see Mark Davis hoist a Lombardi Trophy, to see another glowing Super Bowl victory brought back to the Raiders, but that wasn’t going to happen quickly or easily. The purpose was making every single decision, the minutia the mediocre overlook, significant.

Every decision is not fixated on cost, but on outcome. Every hire, every moment, everything had to be on purpose. The Raiders needed a specific coach to make this work.

Early on, they identified Klint Kubiak. When I broke the story that Pete Carroll had been fired, I identified Kubiak as one of their number-one choices.

Not because I was smart, but because Spytek is.

Their first interview with Kubiak cemented it. Described to me as, “It was like a perfect match, none of these guys has any agenda but winning. The Raiders were humble, no finger-pointing, and Kubiak was humble in what he didn’t know. It works.”

Apr 24, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (left) shakes hands with head coach Klint Kubiak at introductory press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center after being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Raiders interviewed a myriad of great candidates; they had to wait for Kubiak, and the plan, and for the plan to be successful, the purpose required no stone to be ignored.

Even with some great candidates, each time they came back to Kubiak.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The Raiders of old wouldn’t have waited; they would have expected Kubiak to leave them at the altar. Many in the fan base were panicking, but this wasn’t the Raiders of old. They knew their plan and understood its purpose. They knew Kubiak saw the Raiders through the lens of what they were, not what 2025 said about the franchise.

They got their man, and he quickly assembled a staff aligned with the plan and purpose, and they got to work.

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

Fact No. 3: Precision

With the Raiders’ plan and purpose in place, they know that each decision must resonate with precision. Each new player, each player retained, the 53 roster spots are coveted.

They want maximum competition and battle. From the decals on the helmet to the mantra of ’aim big, miss big’ and ’aim small, miss small,’ each decision resonated with it. No decision is too small to be ignored or devalued for significance.

Practice Dummines | Dexter ernest Wayne Carpenter, On SI

In the scouting process, college coaches raved about the Raiders, “Actually listening,” and as the free agency and draft unfolded, the Silver & Black never blinked. The Raiders' cheap ways were gone, and the ownership group invested millions into the scouting and draft process and department.

Did they sign every player they wanted in free agency? No. Did they draft every player they wanted in the draft? Not even close. But what they did do was stay within the overall plan, with a distinct purpose, so that they understood this was a rebuild. They were precise.

Raider Footballs | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, On SI

As one member of the Raiders leadership team said to me, “Would we love to make the playoffs in 2026? Hell yeah, but we want to make choices that once we get back there, we stay there. Not celebrating making it every five years, let’s get there and buy a house, and not Airbnb it.”

Evaluating the Collective Effort

RAIDER NATION NOT PLEASED WITH LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The Raiders are far better today than they were a year ago, or even as they enter the last week of the season. They aren’t a Super Bowl team, but they are now a team with a legitimate plan, forged by people who have been there.

They have a purpose, a reason, in executing their plan, and they have the commitment to precision, to making sure each step, every move, is the right one. It isn’t a slogan; we have demonstrative proof of action.

Raiders Logo | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, On SI

Gone are the days of celebrating things that should be appreciated, and now are the days of appreciating the things that will eventually allow you to celebrate.

Vegas Tells the Truth

Las Vegas Strip — Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Las Vegas strip. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The odds are against the Raiders and this rebuild. But as this town is known for winning, against all odds, this Raiders rebuild feels different. In my seven years covering this team, it has never felt, but more importantly, looked like this.

Millions come here from around the world to defy the odds. Few do, but some do. It is the hope of a few that fuels the millions that flock here.

Feb 8, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; The Super Bowl XI ring to commemorate the Oakland Raiders 32-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl 11 on Jan. 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The odds are against the Silver & Black, but since the season concluded, this is a different franchise.

These three irrefutable reasons are: Plan, purpose, and precision are now the map back to Al Davis and his mantra of “Just Win, Baby.” Could it really be that the words “Commitment to Excellence” are no longer a slogan, but an actual blueprint again?

Allegiant Stadium, Lombardi — May 29, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; General overall view of Las Vegas Raiders helmet, Wilson 2020 NFL The Duke official football and Super Bowl Vince Lombardi trophy at the Allegiant Stadium construction site. The stadium will be the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the UNLV Rebels football teams. It is located on about 62 acres of land west of Mandalay Bay at Russell Road and Hacienda Avenue and between Polaris Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, just west of Interstate 15. Construction of the | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Don’t bet against them.

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