The Las Vegas Raiders are set for a big rebuilding season in 2026, with a new head coach in Klint Kubiak and the expectation that they use the first overall pick to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. 

2025 was a bad season for the Raiders. They believed they had a chance to compete, making significant moves in hiring Pete Carroll and trading for Geno Smith. Now one season out, they’ll be replacing both.

Where does Las Vegas go from here?

Who to Cut?

We have a lot of cap space to start with, the second most in the league, actually. We won’t have to make too many cuts, but there is room to save money.

The first cut is veteran guard Alex Cappa. The veteran didn’t play well in 2025, and we will be looking to move on. Cutting Cappa saves us $5 million for 2026. We only make two more cuts, moving on from veteran depth pieces in wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Cutting the veterans saves us another $5 million.

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There’s obviously a glaring decision here: not cutting Smith. While it was a strong consideration, I believe it’s better to have the veteran quarterback stick with the team as a veteran presence for Mendoza. With a new coaching staff, it could be a fresh start.

Trade!

In connection with one of our other rebuilds, we agree to a trade with the New England Patriots involving Maxx Crosby. In return, we receive a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick.

While the value isn’t what the Raiders initially wanted, I don’t believe they’ll be able to get two first-round picks for the 28-year-old pass rusher. This move also saves us $35.9 million in cap space.

Free Agency

We have over $140 million to spend in free agency, so for our sake, I will only mention the big free agent signings that we make.

We start with a smaller move, bringing Kenny Pickett back on a one-year deal. This is insurance just in case things go sour with Smith. We also re-signed cornerback Kyu Blu-Kelly. Still a young, promising player.

Here’s where the money starts to dwindle. We sign wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a three-year, $67.5 million contract. While it’s a significant contract for a receiver that has never reached 1,000 yards, the wideout market is skewed, and there aren’t many receivers available in free agency.

Our next big acquisition is cornerback Cordale Flott. We’re betting on the veteran cornerback’s upside, giving him a three-year $37.5 million contract. With plenty of money to spend, we were able to outbid other teams trying to acquire Flott.

We grab other significant players, adding Kaden Elliss to a two-year $15 million contract and edge rusher Kwity Paye on a two-year $16 million contract.

We make big offensive line additions to protect our soon-to-be rookie quarterback, adding veteran Kevin Zeitler to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million. Our big offensive line addition is Larry Borom, whose price was driven up by opposing teams. We get Borom on a three-year $61.2 million contract.

The Draft

We have significant draft capital after the Crosby trade. We have five picks within the top 70.

1.1 QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

This is a no-brainer and 100% the move the Raiders will be making on draft night.

Mendoza is a gamer. He has the features to be a franchise quarterback. While the consensus believes he’s not a top quarterback prospect, NFL scouts are higher on the Heisman winner than others believe.

Who’s a better pick for Las Vegas than a quarterback who took an irrelevant team and brought them their first National Championship?

1.31 Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

The draft starts here for the Raiders. At 31st overall via New England, we take pass rusher Cashius Howell.

There were concerns revolving around Howell about his arm length. While these are valid concerns, he is an explosive pass rusher who was ultra-productive at Texas A&M. Howell will take some time to develop, but he will be a great player in the future and has impressive athleticism.

2.36 S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was in consideration for us at 31, as he has seen first-round hype, but his fall makes him a steal at 36.

McNeil-Warren is a perfect fit in Las Vegas’ new defensive scheme. There are some athletic concerns, but he works as an upgrade over Jamal Adams. The Toledo safety has the versatility to rush the passer, play in the box, and hold his own in a zone defense on the back end.

2.63 WR Antonio Williams, Clemson

We finally made some additions to our offense through the draft, adding a target for Mendoza.

Using a late second-round pick, we grab Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams. The Clemson wideout has been a consistent producer for the Tigers, recording 600+ yards in every season he’s been healthy in college.

Williams has the versatility to work in the slot, and that’s where we plan to play him.

3.67 WR Ja’Kobi Lane, USC

Doubling down on wide receiver in back-to-back picks! We use our third-round pick to add USC wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.

Lane is a different mold of wideout from Williams, being a prototypical X receiver. The USC wideout is a size mismatch at 6-foot-4 and has exceptional ball skills. There are separation concerns, but his size and catchability are intriguing traits.

Recap

Additions

• WR Romeo Doubs
• CB Cor’dale Flott
• LB Kaden Elliss
• OT Larry Borom
• IOL Kevin Zeitler
• EDGE Kwity Paye
• QB Fernando Mendoza
• LB Cashius Howell
• S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
• WR Antonio Williams
• WR Ja’Kobi Lane

Losses

• EDGE Maxx Crosby
• G Alex Cappa
• QB Aidan O’Connell
• WR Phillip Dorsett

We have a lot of draft capital and cap space to work with. Utilizing our resources, we add plenty of young talent for our future and veteran presences for our young quarterback. This still isn’t a team that will be competing in 2026, but it sets the roster up to start competing in the near future.