New-Look Raiders Enter 2026 Looking To Shed Old Identity

Winning, stability, and productivity have not been something the Las Vegas Raiders have been known for lately. In fact, it has been quite the opposite, as the Raiders have lost nearly 30 games over the past two seasons. Both of those seasons included 10-game losing streaks.

Las Vegas has made sweeping changes in an effort to completely turn things around on and off the field. The turnaround they hope to complete will be thorough, but it is already underway. A productive offseason has quickly renewed hope that Las Vegas can become more competitive sooner.

New-Look Raiders

By the time the Raiders take the field in Week 1, they will be largely unrecognizable from the team that last took the field in January. Las Vegas is set to debut new players and coaches across the board. Yet, their ability to mesh those new pieces together will be a critical early factor.

Las Vegas is hard at work implementing the many changes that were made this offseason. As much as excitement continues to build around Las Vegas this offseason, internally, they refuse to let the outside belief take away from the fact that they still have plenty of work to do.

Raiders' Bright Future

As the Raiders move from Organized Team Activities to mandatory minicamp, they will look to take the next step in their offseason development plan. As they do so, the Raiders' coaching staff and team leaders are focused on building a more competitive team in 2025.

It appears they are well on their way to making the 2026 season their best since their playoff berth in 2021. Las Vegas aims to become a more competitive team in the upcoming regular season, but its only real competition is the 2025 Raiders. That is the bar they should be compared to this season.

Assuming they are compared correctly, it is fair to believe the Raiders are already better than the team that struggled to win three games last season. However, none of that matters if they do not have a productive offseason leading up to Week 1 of the regular season.

As the Raiders prepare to enter mandatory minicamp this week, star defensive end Maxx Crosby explained that his mentality is an important component of the team's offseason. After an eventful offseason for Crosby and the Raiders, he noted he is locked in on production, not predictions.

“Honestly, I'm not into making predictions, getting too high, too low. I've been there before in the past, and I'm always going to be overly optimistic. If you don't believe it, you have no chance. So, for me, coming into every single season, I believe we play this game to win. We don't go here to rebuild or have a chance or get a little bit better,” Crosby said following OTAs.

“Obviously, we have a lot of work to do, and we do have to get a lot better and there is a lot of things that need to go in our favor, but ultimately I'm always going to be very optimistic, and I try to feed that to my teammates. If we go into the season thinking we're going to lose, you're probably going to lose."

“So, no matter what it is, no matter what the situation, no matter who's coaching, if you don't have everybody on board and everybody invested and dialed in on finding ways to win and improve as an individual so that you can improve the unit and everyone is working in the same direction, then you're wasting time."

Time is of the essence, and in OTAs, the Raiders looked like a team making the most of the time they were allotted. Still, the 2026 season will heavily depend on Las Vegas' ability to find and establish a new identity for the first time in years. The Raiders need to continue being productive.

The Raiders have undoubtedly improved this offseason. They have essentially addressed all of their most pressing coaching staff and roster issues. Las Vegas' front office has orchestrated the best offseason the organization has had in many years. Now they must put it all together.

Following his rollercoaster ride of an offseason, Crosby elaborated, noting that he is excited to finally return to the field for the only team he has ever played for. Crosby is happy to be back, and his teammates and Raiders fans everywhere are happy to have him back. Crosby cannot wait to hit the field.

“I know I'm meant to be here for a reason; I believe that, and I'm so excited to be here in front of the fans, man. I can't wait to get out there and see the fanbase and feel the fanbase when you're back out at Week 1 versus Miami, it's going to be legendary," Crosby said.

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