Klint Kubiak’s challenge? Get the Raiders out of the wilderness and navigate rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s life in the NFL.
Klint Kubiak (photo courtesy Las Vegas Review)
Raiders owner Mark Davis loved his father, Al Davis, whom he admired as an NFL owner. That doesn’t mean he wants to be like his father in hiring and firing head coaches. Indeed, it pains him to see six head coaches come and go under his watch. It means he has failed to turn around a once-proud Raiders franchise.
Davis thought he found stability when he hired Jon Gruden as head coach. Then emails were revealed showing that Gruden made racist remarks about NFL executive director DeMaurice Smith, derogatory comments directed at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, criticism of the drafting of Michael Sam (NFL’s first gay player), and sexist interpretations of female referees.
Now Kubiak enters, an offensive assistant regarded for his ability to mix running and passing. He comes from a strong coaching tree, too, having worked with Kyle Shanahan and Mike Zimmer. His father, Gary, was a good head coach with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.
After an inaugural preseason at the helm, Kubiak makes his NFL regular-season head coaching debut at Allegiant Stadium vs. the Miami Dolphins. It’s a matchup that the Raiders can and should win. Indeed, the Raiders are a -3 Vegas choice.
Kubiak’s goal this year is to change the Raiders’ course, with trending up the primary outcome. To do that, the team needs to show week-to-week improvement, young players need to develop into productive NFL frontlines, and Mendoza needs to become “the guy” many expect him to be.
I believe Kubiak can do that. I like the youth on this team, including fourth-round pick Mike Washington Jr., sixth-round pick Malik Benson, and last year’s second-round pick Jack Bech, to go along with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers on offense. And with solid offensive schemes, line play, and improving skill players, I expect the Raiders to score.
Mark Davis (photo courtesy ABC 7 Los Angeles)
If Mendoza becomes a star, it means Davis may have found the elusive stability he has been searching for in his head coach and starting quarterback.
With progress this season and continued development in 2027, there’s every reason to believe that the Raiders will have that long-awaited breakthrough in 2028–that quest to be a force again in the NFL West.
But if there’s any hope of that happening, Year 1 of that cycle can’t mean “more of the same” in Raiders land. With Kubiak and Mendoza, though, there’s a fighting chance that better days are ahead. That road begins today.
