2025's win-now strategy backfired so hard they got the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, the Las Vegas Raiders are taking the logical path and building slowly behind a young, highly regarded quarterback.
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is now the team's franchise cornerstone, even if he'll have to wait his turn behind Kirk Cousins early in the season. He's got the league's highest-paid center in front of him, a top 10-drafted tailback behind him and one of the league's top tight ends to throw to.
He's also got a bunch of wide receivers who are... less encouraging.
What can we expect from the Raiders this fall? A higher floor and an as-yet-unknown ceiling that probably stops short of the playoff race but well above "optimistic."
Let's take a quick look at Las Vegas's offseason.
Key addition: QB Fernando Mendoza
The living LinkedIn post authored one of the greatest stories in college football history, piloting one of the losingest teams in the sport's history to a 16-0 season and national title. He arrives for a Raiders offense that ranked dead last in offensive efficiency and fourth from the bottom in terms of dropback EPA last fall. Expectations are minimal for a rebuilding team. Kirk Cousins' presence will provide plenty of runway for a player who made the jump from Cal to Indiana with aplomb last fall.
Las Vegas boosted the personnel around him to ease this transition. Tyler Linderbaum will clear space for Ashton Jeanty after a trying rookie campaign. A rebuilt linebacker corps should help limit the amount of shootouts Vegas has to win. But an underwhelming receiving corps could dent Mendoza's impact in a similar way the Titans left Cam Ward hanging last year.
Key departure: HC Pete Carroll
Carroll's final(?) act in the NFL was the equivalent of watching Randy Moss in a Tennessee Titans jersey. In his place comes Klint Kubiak, fresh off making Sam Darnold a Super Bowl winning quarterback. His playcalling before 2025 isn't exactly inspiring; a mediocre 2021 Vikings team and a bad 2024 Saints one.
He's been risk averse (with Kirk Cousins in '21) and a risk taker (Darnold's 18 interceptions in '25), but generally willing to adjust to the strengths his roster provides. In 2026, that means bringing Fernando Mendoza along slowly and relying on Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty long enough for proper reinforcements to arrive in 2027.
Potential 2026 breakout player: WR Jalen Nailor
Nailor is the kind of player who can lift up a young quarterback. He had the most productive season of his career with J.J. McCarthy slinging passes in his general direction last fall. His ability to fight through traffic — a 67 percent contested catch rate, per FTN — is the kind of effort that turns interceptions into first downs and bad decisions into nervous relief.
Jalen Nailor was one of the best contested catch receivers in the league in 2025.I think he was a smart player for the Raiders to add since they were always using their 1st-round pick on Mendoza and didn't have that more traditional path to try to find a No. 1 receiver.Source: @ftnfantasy.com
— Scott Spratt (@scottspratt.bsky.social) 2026-07-16T13:46:54.945Z
After having his targets limited by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison's presence, there's no such blockage at the top of the Raiders wideout depth chart. Nailor could be Las Vegas' WR1… and Fernando Mendoza's huckleberry.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 25 for Kirk Cousins, n/a for Fernando Mendoza
- WR corps rank: 31
- RB corps rank: 12
- TE corps rank: 1
Will they improve in 2026?
Yes. It would be nearly impossible not to.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Raiders 2026 season preview: The AFC West's most interesting team
