#Raiders owner Mark Davis says having the No. 1 pick influenced the decision to hire Klint Kubiak
"Having the 1st pick in the draft and understanding there's a good chance we go on the offensive side of the ball⦠We'd want a young, offensive mind that could grow with⦠pic.twitter.com/aqXQ57kqYF
ā Nick Walters (@nickwalt) February 10, 2026
Youād be hard pressed to find another NFL owner thatās cycled through more head coaches and general managers during Davisā tenure as majority owner. Most recently, it was veteran Pete Carroll as lead man and he got waxed. Before him it was Antonio Pierce, Josh McDaniels, then Jon Gruden. While the constant churn is gross from the surface, Iām going to give Davis credit for admitting mistakes ā even though there were a lot of them.
Heās desperately seeking stability and Spytek got his mulligan and now heās paired with a young and creative offensive mind.
The duo of Spytek and Kubiak sprinted into free agency landing center Tyler Linderbaum, linebackers Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Segun Olubi, edge rusher Kwity Paye, wide receivers Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young, and fullback Connor Heyward. Las Vegas also added nickel cornerback Taron Johnson via trade and re-signed edge rusher Malcolm Koonce, cornerback Erick Stokes, and defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, amongst other in-house free agents. Oh, and who could forget shipping off and then getting Maxx Crosby back after the scuttled trade with the Baltimore Ravens?
āWell, Iām really impressed with the way John and Klint are working together, along with Johnās staff and the coaching staff,ā Davis said. āAs I said, I never wanted Maxx to leave, so Iām glad that heās back and Iām glad that we got Tyler Linderbaum. So I think we got out of that pretty well.ā
Up next is the 2026 draft ā the annual event where the Raidersā rebuild (even if Davis and others wonāt label this excursion specifically as such) gets more foundational players.
This marks Spytekās second go-around as Las Vegas chief personnel man and alongside rookie head coach Kubiak, the duo are charting a new course for a Raidersā ship thatās ran aground far too often.
#Raiders owner Mark Davis: "Having the first pick in the draft is excitingā¦but we've had that position before, and it didn't work out. So there's no magic bullet there, but it's a great opportunity to get a great player, whoever they decide to pick."
ā Paul Gutierrez (@PaulHGutierrez)
Like with his other choices at GM and head coach, Davis is giving Spytek and Kubiak full reign to operate as they see fit. Minority owner Tom Brady will have his say, too, of course, but itāll be Spytek and Kubiak leading the charge heading into an integral 2026 campaign ā unless Brady pivots and is at team headquarters in Henderson, Nevada more often than he is now.
And, come on, we sorta/kinda know what direction Las Vegas is going with the top pick on April 23: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Thereās probably quite folks that openly wonder why the Raiders should take the Hoosiersā signal caller first after the team inked veteran Kirk Cousins. While heās plenty capable and has prior working relationship with Kubiak with the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins turns 38 in August and has the looks of a bridge veteran mentor to Mendoza.
In addition, barring some kingās bounty that gets the Raiders off the No. 1 pick or somehow another prospect galvanizing the team to make them the top selection, Mendoza appears to be the Silver & Blackās eventual decision either before the event or shortly after the team is on the clock.
While the top pick is mission critical, Spytek and Kubiak have nine other selections (currently) to further stack the roster in Las Vegas. While the draft tends to be a crapshoot in nature, the Raiders also have the 36th overall pick alongside the 67th overall selection to round out their top three choices. Thereās a trio of fourth rounders (102nd, 117th, 134th) following those with picks in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh rounds.
So weāll see what kind of prospects Las Vegas adds over the course of the three-day draft and, equally important, find out if Kubiak plays said rookies, which was much to Spytekās chagrin with the Carroll and his staff.
While this all goes on, Davis will watch with eager eyes, looking for a franchise turnaround ā much like Raider Nation.