What to Expect From the Las Vegas Raiders This Season

The Silver and Black are back, and this time the swagger comes with a plan. After a 3-14 gut punch of a 2025 season, Las Vegas tore it down to the studs, new head coach, retooled coordinators, a blockbuster free-agent quarterback, and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Say what you want about last year, but Raider Nation has never been shy about believing, and heading into Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins on September 13, there's real reason for that belief to feel different this time.

Here's the full breakdown of what's coming in 2026.

Coaching: A Fresh Voice With a Super Bowl Pedigree

Out with Pete Carroll, in with Klint Kubiak. After a one-and-done, 3-14 campaign led to Carroll's dismissal in January, owner Mark Davis and GM John Spytek moved fast, signing Kubiak to a five-year deal in February. Kubiak arrives fresh off a Super Bowl win as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator, and he's bringing the winning formula with him: he immediately elevated defensive line coach Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator and pulled his Seahawks quarterbacks coach, Andrew Janocko, over to run the offense, while keeping trusted secondary coach Joe Woods in the fold.

The son of legendary coach Gary Kubiak, Klint runs a modern, Shanahan-tree offense built on outside zone running, disciplined play-action, and formation versatility designed to put stress on a defense at every level. It's a scheme that has produced winning football everywhere it's gone, and now it's Vegas's turn. Add in Spytek entering year two working hand-in-hand with Tom Brady on football operations, and this is a leadership group that finally looks aligned on culture, vision, and how to build a winner.

Offense: Explosive Weapons, A New System, and a Quarterback Battle to Watch

This might be the most talented and most interesting Raiders offense in years.

Under Center: Kirk Cousins and the Future in Fernando Mendoza

Veteran Kirk Cousins signed a five-year deal worth up to $172 million in free agency and was named the Week 1 starter over rookie phenom Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback the Raiders took with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. It's the best of both worlds for Las Vegas, professional stability now, a blue-chip future at the position waiting for his moment. However this quarterback room shakes out over the season, it's clear the Raiders are covered for the long haul.

The Playmakers: Bowers, Jeanty, and Elite Receiving Depth

Tight end Brock Bowers is the engine of this offense. After an all-time rookie season in 2024 (112 catches, 1,194 yards) and an injury-shortened 2025, Bowers enters this year fully healthy and is being talked about as a potential record-breaker and the league's top fantasy tight end. Running back Ashton Jeanty, last year's No. 6 overall pick out of Boise State, made the PFWA All-Rookie Team after racking up 1,321 total scrimmage yards in 2025, and Kubiak's outside-zone rushing attack is considered a near-perfect scheme fit for his vision and burst.

Up Front: An Investment in the Trenches

The Raiders made a real investment in the trenches, signing center Tyler Linderbaum to be the highest-paid center in football and pairing him with steady left tackle Kolton Miller and second-year lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson. Sports Lounge Media currently ranks the group 18th league-wide but calls it "an ascending group in 2026, and one with serious potential to move up these rankings throughout the season."

Put it together, a Super Bowl-tested play-caller, a battle-tested veteran quarterback, a rising superstar rookie QB, an elite tight end, a bell-cow rookie-of-the-year-caliber running back, and a retooled offensive line, and this unit has the pieces to be one of the most fun surprises in the league.

Defense: Star Power Up Front, Continuity in the Back End

The headline heading into free agency was a swirling trade that would have sent star edge rusher Maxx Crosby to Baltimore for two first-round picks. That deal collapsed when the Ravens backed out over his physical and Raider Nation should be thrilled it did. Crosby, a four-time Pro Bowler and the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history on his three-year, $106.5 million extension, is still anchoring the Raiders' defensive front alongside interior force Christian Wilkins.

Newly elevated defensive coordinator Rob Leonard inherits a talented front seven and gets to build his system with continuity in the secondary thanks to Joe Woods sticking around. With Crosby drawing double teams and Kubiak's staff bringing fresh juice to every level of the roster, expect this defense to be the backbone that keeps the Raiders competitive even while the offense finds its footing under a new system.

Special Teams: Automatic, and Occasionally Legendary

If you want a snapshot of what this Raiders team is capable of, look no further than kicker Daniel Carlson's walk-off 60-yard field goal to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 season finale, a kick that will be replayed in Raiders highlight reels for years. Carlson returns as one of the most reliable weapons in the league, and punter AJ Cole gives Las Vegas a steady field-position battery to complement an offense and defense that are both trending up. Special teams won't make headlines every week, but with Carlson's leg, this group has the capability to steal games late.

Within the Division: The Toughest Test in Football

Let's be honest about the road ahead: the AFC West is being called one of the deepest divisions in the NFL heading into 2026, with the Denver Broncos (defending division champs at 14-3), Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers all carrying legitimate Super Bowl aspiration. Vegas is being counted out by the oddsmakers, sitting at the back of the division's win totals and division-title odds.

Here's why that's exactly the chip on the shoulder this team needs. The schedule sets up for signature moments: Kansas City comes to Allegiant Stadium in Week 4, Los Angeles Chargers visit in Week 2 and again in Week 14, and Denver comes to town in Week 15 before a Week 18 rematch at Arrowhead closes the season. One NFL writer put it best: "The Raiders aren't ready to win it yet, but they'll make their presence felt in divisional games and could yet play spoiler." Every rebuild has to start somewhere, and every division race needs a team nobody wants to play. This year, that team wears Silver and Black.

The Bottom Line

This is a Raiders team stocked with more talent, more direction, and more genuine promise than it's had in years. A championship-tested coaching staff. A quarterback room built for right now and for the future. A generational tight end back at full health. A workhorse back tailor-made for the new system. A pass rush anchored by one of the most feared defenders in football. And a division that, if the Raiders can find their footing, is there for the taking sooner than anyone expects.

The rebuild isn't a rebuild anymore, it's a launch. Buckle up, Raider Nation. This season is the beginning of something worth believing in.