Why This Offseason Feels Different for Las Vegas Raiders

Following the end of a failed season under former head coach Pete Carroll, the Las Vegas Raiders began searching for their fourth head coach in as many seasons. This time felt different. Las Vegas was not just looking for a head coach to fill the position, as was somewhat the case last offseason.

The Raiders knew what they wanted in their next head coach and conducted a thorough head coaching search that landed them Klint Kubiak. He was one of the hottest names during this offseason's coaching cycle, and the Raiders got him. Again, very different from last offseason.

The Kubiak Difference

In Kubiak, Las Vegas landed the offensive coordinator of the most recent Super Bowl-winning team. This gave them a coach who was familiar with where offenses are in today's National Football League. He was not only familiar, but the Super Bowl win also shows he is now proven.

This was vastly different from last offseason, when the Raiders missed out on Ben Johnson, were essentially forced to settle for Carroll, and had few resources to speak of. Carroll, while proven overall, had not proven himself as a coach with a recent team. What worked in 2015 did not in 2025.

Of course, last season's issues went far beyond the mistakes Carroll and his coaching staff made. Most of Las Vegas' issues were present long before Carroll arrived, putting Carroll behind the eight ball. This is another reason this offseason feels different for Las Vegas.

Compared to this offseason, Las Vegas had few resources to speak of entering last offseason. There were a few moves they could have made last offseason that would have made any real difference on the 3-14 campaign. That was not the case this offseason.

Different Perspective

Not only did the Raiders enter this offseason with 10 total draft picks, including the No. 1 overall pick, but they also had more free cap space to use in the offseason than any other team. Then, this was in addition to hiring one of the top coaches available to lead the way.

Las Vegas gutted its coaching staff and roster, upgrading both to compete in today's league, which is different from even a few seasons ago. The league is not the same way it was in 2022 or 2023. The league is ever-changing, while the Raiders were not for years.

Through Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp, the improvement the Raiders have made is more than evident. There has not been as much animation around practice as last season, despite the significant offseason changes. The Raiders have simply been hard at work improving.

There is no need to wait to say it: Las Vegas is better than it has been. Kubiak is a first-time head coach, but he was born into coaching, has been surrounded by a coaching staff possessing decades of experience, and he has been given the best roster the Raiders have had in some time.

Las Vegas has had its fair share of dysfunction lately, that is for sure. However, since Carroll was fired, the Raiders have operated like a different organization than they have been in recent years. They look like a competent organization from the front office to the field, which is progress in itself.

In Kubiak, the Raiders have a young head coach who should be around for years to come. They have already begun revamping the roster and will continue to do so over the next few offseasons. Las Vegas is built to compete in the short and long term.

Although it is Kubiak's first head-coaching position, he has experience helping build teams from the ground up. Similar to Raiders general manager John Spytek, who had many years of prior experience but in a lesser role, Kubiak has been preparing for this moment for a while, just without the title.

Kubiak recently explained how his prior experiences with several teams around the league helped prepare him for the task he has of turning around one of the most storied franchises in league history.

"Being a part of many year one's, you learn from your mistakes, you learn what works, how to best bring the players along, how not to load them up too much, and kind of give them things in the install piecemeal, and then there's days where you go out there and just stress the heck out of them mentally and see what they can retain," Kubiak recently said.

“I think it kind of goes back to the people that you're around, and I've been lucky in those two spots to be around some other coaches, some familiarity where you don't have to spend that much time with the offensive line, with the quarterbacks, with guys like Rick [Dennison] and Andrew [Janocko]. So, really blessed to have them on our staff, and allows me to go and spend time with other parts of the team."

Last offseason, the Raiders added several players who had prior ties to Carroll, arguably too many, and to the detriment of the team. They then whiffed on their offensive coordinator hire, adding Chip Kelly, who had no ties to Carroll at all. This offseason, they have done the opposite.

The Raiders did not make a point of adding many players with prior ties to Kubiak, but they did add many coaches with prior ties to Kubiak. Arguably, none were more critical than offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko. Both Kubiak and Janocko are in new, elevated positions.

“I think anytime you move into a new position, you have to adapt, but I've had some really unbelievable mentors. The guy sitting in the head chair right now, he and I have worked together closely for the last several years and years before that, so I've seen him grow and develop, been there step by step with him for that. So, been able to use that knowledge and then use all of the other coordinators I've been around,” Janocko said after OTAs.

“Have some unbelievable resources on our staff that have been coordinators, that have been head coaches. So, able to ask questions, get feedback from that stuff. My first job in the NFL was working for Mike Sullivan when he was a coordinator, and he's one of the most trustworthy people that you will ever be around, so he's been an unbelievable resource for me growing into this role."

Add us as a preferred source on Google