Why Familiarity Has Several Meanings for New-Look Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to move as far past the losing-filled past few seasons as possible. Las Vegas' front office entered this offseason determined to change the narrative surrounding the team, but they knew fixing their coaching staff and roster was the first step.

Las Vegas has had no shortage of issues lately. There has been plenty of blame to go around for them losing nearly 30 games in the past two seasons. Essentially, all of that blame would be warranted, as the Raiders have failed to do much of anything right in recent seasons.

Familiarity Factor

As the Raiders revamped their coaching staff and began revamping their roster this offseason, Las Vegas was careful to add coaches and players who had worked together before. More importantly, much of that prior experience together was successful, which should bode well for Las Vegas.

The Raiders' front office added Klint Kubiak as head coach, who had prior connections to offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko, assistant head coach Mike McCoy, and many others. All of which should help shorten Kubiak's learning curve as a first-time head coach.

Roster-wise, the Raiders also added multiple players with prior ties to Kubiak or other coaches on the coaching staff. This should also work in Las Vegas' favor as they move through the early stages of their rebuild. None of the moves the Raiders made this offseason were by accident.

Las Vegas added familiarity where possible, but did not overdo it, as they seemingly did last offseason when building their staff and roster. They have taken a cautious approach to addressing the many coaching-staff and roster-related issues that have plagued them.

Different Kinds of Familiarity

Las Vegas built familiarity in several different ways. Coaching-wise, Kubiak's familiar ties run deep and are well-documented. However, that familiarity is multifaceted. Kubiak has ties to many of the coaches he brought in, as well as to several of the players he added, such as Kirk Cousins.

The Raiders have given Kubiak plenty of players and coaches familiar with him and his scheme, helping make his first season at the helm a success. Earlier this offseason, McCoy explained where the Raiders find themselves as a team and coaching staff heading into training camp.

“Well, all Klint [Kubiak] wants to do is help this organization win, and that's his number one focus. So, he put an unbelievable staff together, and he brought guys in that are going to help him, and one of the things I think as a head coach, is you want to bring people in that can make maybe a weakness a strength, and certain guys in certain roles, whether it's on the offensive staff, the defensive staff, special teams, my role," McCoy said.

“Certain things that can really help him turn this thing around and get us to a winning tradition, get it back, and then that's what it's all about. But he has a passion for this game. He truly loves doing what he does, comes to work every day, he's a great leader."

“I think you could see that by the way our players are out there practicing on a daily basis. They've done a phenomenal job this offseason. I think it starts with Klint's leadership and what the message is on how he wants us to play, how he wants us to prepare, and what we're doing."

Still, the familiarity between the coaching staff and the roster runs deep, as the Raiders kept several coaches from previous regimes on the staff. This was most notably the case with the promotion of Rob Leonard from the team's defensive line coach to defensive coordinator.

After having the same defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and implementing no shortage of new players and coaches elsewhere, retaining the likes of Leonard, Joe Woods, and others was a wise move by the Raiders' front office, as it was another form of familiarity.

Kubiak's familiarity with many of the coaches and players, and the familiarity with the remaining coaches and players, is an underrated aspect of the Raiders' rebuilding efforts this offseason. Kubiak recently explained why that familiarity is critical and how it impacted his coaching staff additions.

“When you're putting the staff together, it's really about finding the best guy, and when you can have people that you've worked with before, when it's all on the line in the fire, you know how that person's going to respond. There's a lot of value in that. I don't want to find out about my coaches when it's fourth-and-10 what they're really about,” Kubiak said.

“If I know what they're about coming into the building, I know what to expect and know who I can count on. So, you have to have trust in those guys, and I have trust in these men. There are a few individuals that I don't know, but it's been a pleasure to work with them, and we're just like the players, when it's all on the line, we've got to perform as well. So, having a staff of guys that are in the boat with you and have your back goes a long way.”

Las Vegas has had a productive offseason in many regards. While it remains to be seen how their offseason moves will pan out on the field, it is undeniable that the Raiders have been set up for success more this offseason than in any recent one.

As much as the actual players and coaches that were added look to turn things around, every little detail will matter. The Raiders are in the beginning stages of a massive rebuild. It will take more than this offseason or even next offseason to make that happen.

The familiarity that runs throughout Kubiak's coaching staff and team will only continue to grow as they spend more time together. However, given where they are right now, the familiarity they bring to the season should be a significant part of how the 2026 season goes for the Silver and Black.

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