The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t just finish 3–14.
They finished positioned.
As the NFL enters one of its most volatile offseasons in years, no franchise holds more leverage — or more uncertainty — than Las Vegas. A new head coach, the No. 1 overall pick, and one of the deepest pools of salary-cap space in the league have turned the Raiders into something far more dangerous than a rebuilding team.
They’ve become a catalyst.
Klint Kubiak is expected to be named the Raiders’ next head coach, marking yet another reset after a one-year experiment that never found its footing. The urgency around this hire is unmistakable. Another miss wouldn’t just stall progress — it would erode trust inside the building.
But the coaching change is only the surface move.
The real shockwaves begin with the quarterback.
Las Vegas is widely expected to select Indiana standout Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, signaling a commitment to a long-term vision rather than a temporary fix.
Mendoza, fresh off a national championship, would immediately alter draft boards across the league. Teams behind the Raiders aren’t just preparing for who Las Vegas might take — they’re preparing for who they won’t be able to.
That alone reshapes the draft.
Then comes free agency.
The Raiders were unusually passive last offseason. That restraint is expected to disappear. With projected cap space trailing only the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas has both the need and the means to spend aggressively. When a team with money and desperation enters the market, prices change.
Players who expected modest deals suddenly find bidding wars. Teams that planned to retain key contributors are forced into difficult choices. One aggressive Raiders contract could push an entire tier of free agents into different tax brackets.
That’s the ripple effect.
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm recently ranked Raiders general manager John Spytek as one of the most important people of the entire offseason — sixth overall. That placement isn’t about reputation. It’s about leverage.
Spytek controls the top draft slot. He controls timing. And he controls how chaotic the early weeks of the offseason become.
Edholm’s warning was subtle but clear: this won’t be a smooth process.
Las Vegas must integrate another new coaching staff. The pressure to get it right is immense. There’s also an unresolved situation involving a Pro Bowl cornerstone whose season ended awkwardly — a reminder that not every major decision will be celebratory.
One way or another, Spytek’s choices won’t stay contained.
A trade down from No. 1? That shifts the entire top 10.
A quarterback taken first overall? That reshuffles veteran QB markets.
A surprise splash in free agency? That forces rivals to react prematurely.
The Raiders don’t need to be perfect to be impactful. They just need to be decisive.
That decisiveness appears imminent.
Spytek has been candid about the frustration inside the building. “I’m not real happy right now at 3–14,” he admitted recently. His response isn’t patience — it’s accumulation. More scouts. More analytics. More wellness infrastructure. More talent.
That mindset suggests this offseason won’t be cautious.
It will be corrective.
And corrective offseasons are rarely quiet.
The Raiders aren’t just trying to fix themselves. They’re unintentionally forcing other teams to reveal their priorities earlier than planned. When one franchise controls the top of the draft and the top tier of free agency, everyone else has to move faster — or get left behind.
That’s why this offseason feels different.
Las Vegas doesn’t have to announce a master plan. It doesn’t need to win the offseason headlines. All it needs to do is act — and let the rest of the league react.
The Raiders may still be a year or two away from contention.
But right now, they’re already shaping the NFL’s future.
And the league knows it.
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