HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and will almost certainly select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, yet another reset looms. The Silver and Black have made the playoffs just twice in the last 23 years and posted only two winning seasons since Mark Davis took full control in 2011.
The Slot Machine Cycle Keeps Spinning
Raiders fans know the drill by now. Pull the lever each spring with fresh optimism at training camp, watch a few flashes of competence, then endure another lost season filled with mid-year firings and front-office shakeups. The franchise buried another coach after the 2025 campaign. Pete Carroll lasted just one year and went 3-14. Antonio Pierce got one full shot before that and went 4-13. The pattern repeats.
A team insider pointed the finger directly at the owner in a recent report. “Antonio was given a s*** roster. Pete was given a s*** roster,” the source said. “The underlying issue is that Mark has never really respected the GM position. He let Gruden pick Mayock. Then he let Josh McDaniels pick his best friend as GM, Dave Ziegler. Now, he lets Tom Brady do the same thing with John Spytek.”
Davis, now 70, inherited the team from his father Al in 2011. The elder Davis built a culture obsessed with “the Raider Way.” The son has leaned harder into business decisions while the on-field product drifted. The Raiders sit near the bottom in win percentage under Mark Davis ownership, with zero playoff wins in those two appearances. The last deep run feels like ancient history.
Enter the 2026 overhaul. Klint Kubiak takes over as head coach after calling plays for the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning offense in 2025. John Spytek remains at GM, working closely with minority owner Tom Brady on football operations. The front office has already added veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as a bridge and mentor. Yet the big swing comes at the draft.
Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman winner and national champion, represents the latest hope at franchise quarterback. Davis himself sounded cautious about the No. 1 pick, referencing the JaMarcus Russell bust from years ago. “We’ve had that position before, and it didn’t work out,” he said. No magic bullet, indeed.
“We’ve got to build this thing the right way. I’m not here to chase shortcuts.”
— Klint Kubiak, Raiders Head Coach
What the Reset Means for 2026 and Beyond
Kubiak brings a modern offensive mind and fresh energy after that championship run in Seattle. Pairing him with Mendoza could spark something real if the young quarterback sits early behind Cousins and absorbs the system. The defense needs work, the offensive line demands attention, and the roster still carries holes from prior regimes.
Yet the bigger question hangs over the owner’s box. Will Davis finally step back and let Spytek and Brady shape personnel without interference? Or will the same hands-off approach that let previous coaches inherit thin rosters doom this group too? Fans in Las Vegas have heard the annual training-camp buzz before. This time the stakes feel higher because the talent at No. 1 offers rare upside.
You could sense the weight of past failures when Davis spoke at league meetings. The franchise keeps gambling big chips—new coaches, new quarterbacks, new hope—but the jackpot stays just out of reach. Raider Nation wants to believe the cycle can break. Whether Mark Davis finally lets football people drive the bus will decide if 2026 becomes the turning point or another pull of the lever.
