Scott Gulbransen
Klint Kubiak has been the Raiders’ head coach for roughly three months. He has already told his own front office that the time for explanations is over.
“I am fully aware of the resources the Raiders have, the facilities. Practicing here when I was with the 49ers, playing in Allegiant. That is as good as it gets,” Kubiak told Raiders.com. “So we have no excuses as coaches and as administrators to go out and get great players and get them to play their best.”
That is the kind of quote that travels. It also sets the tone for what the analysts have been picking up on as OTAs unfold.
Other Insiders Excited About Raiders 2026
The Athletic’s Sam Warren laid out the post-draft case for cautious optimism, pointing to the under-the-radar work done after the Mendoza pick.
“There was always going to be something to be excited about with this draft class because of Fernando Mendoza,” Warren wrote. “But what the Raiders did on Days 2 and 3 should be reason for optimism as well. Las Vegas addressed its lack of playmaking defensive backs in a big way, drafting four of them, all of whom are touted for their ball skills,” Warren wrote.
The quarterback room is where most national pundits are landing this week. They seem quite interested in the position battle for Klint Kubiak’s Raiders.
CBS Sports analyst Nate Burleson, appearing on a Sports Illustrated video, did not mince words about the QB1 conversation. “I think Kirk’s going to have to fumble that opportunity away. Mendoza is not going to beat out Kirk Cousins right now. Kirk is still a veteran quarterback, and if you look at the money they paid him, he’s going there to play quarterback,” Burleson said.
Kubiak Not Pushing Back on QB Framing
Klint Kubiak has not pushed back on the framing Burelson laid out. He has just complicated it.
“Between Kirk, Aidan, and Fernando, those are three really excellent players right there. We’re going to coach our tails off, but no matter what, they always bring the best out of each other,” Kubiak said. “So, when it’s a competitive room, it’s a good thing,”
The phrase competitive room keeps coming up. So, does the phrase “a long way to go”?
Owner Mark Davis cracked open another door this week by saying, “With Fernando Mendoza coming in as potentially the starting QB, it’s just so exciting,” Davis said, contradicting the soft consensus that Cousins has the job locked.
Read between the lines. Cousins arrives knowing the offense, having played three seasons under Kubiak in Minnesota. Mendoza arrives as the No. 1 overall pick, the reigning Heisman winner, and per his own admission, still learning how to take a snap from under center.
Nothing about that is decided. Kubiak prefers it that way.
