john spytek klint kubiak
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John Spytek and Klint Kubiak of the Las Vegas Raiders.
It has been a landmark offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders. It remains to be seen how many of the moves will pay off, but there’s been a lot to happen with the franchise.
The team hired a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, is likely to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 pick, traded Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens before that fell apart and were among the biggest spenders in free.
No team is going to look more different in 2026 than the Raiders. However, that doesn’t mean all of their moves are being met with praise. The Athletic’s Mike Jones listed the winners and losers of free agency, and he listed the Raiders among the biggest losers.
“The Raiders did meet some other needs,” Jones wrote. “They landed Linderbaum, the former Ravens center, to the tune of a massive, three-year, $81 million deal. Did they overpay? Yes. They gave him elite left tackle money, but having a reliable center for a rookie quarterback in Klint Kubiak’s system is extremely important. The Raiders placed a high priority on landing a top center with Linderbaum topping their wish list, according to a person with intimate knowledge of their deliberations, and when it became evident that backup plan McGovern was remaining with Buffalo, they opened up the checkbook for Linderbaum.
“Las Vegas had a mixed bag from there. It added some talented players, like wide receiver Jalen Nailor, while also re-signing cornerback Eric Stokes. But it also overpaid for edge rusher Kwity Paye.”
Raiders Not Getting Enough Credit
Calling the Raiders free agent losers might be a bit unfair. They had a lot of money to spend, and they were able to address serious needs.
Yes, it can be argued that players like Linderbaum and Paye were overpaid, but that’s what happens in free agency. Both of those players fill big needs. Plus, the Raiders had a salary cap floor they had to reach, so they had no choice but to spend big this offseason.
The team’s roster is better than it was last season. It seems like a stretch to call them losers, but time will tell if this ended up being a good offseason.
Raiders Likely Done Making Big Moves
With Crosby coming back on the books, the Raiders don’t have much more money to play with. They could always mess around with restructuring some contracts, but it feels like the team is done making big moves.
Many of the top free agents have already signed, and the Raiders might not want to consider making trades after the Ravens debacle. They are still a rebuilding team, but they have a really solid foundation to build on.
The Raiders have embraced youth at head coach and the roster. If Kubiak is the real deal, the team could be a lot better, a lot faster than anybody was expecting. Things are headed in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of work to be done before the Raiders are considered a threat in the playoffs.