In three weeks, the Klint Kubiak era will be officially underway when the Raiders take on the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium in the 2026 season opener.
Hopes are high in Kubiak’s first season with the Raiders, though there seems to be an understanding that it could take 2-3 years for the Raiders to be playoff contenders again.
There has been a lot to like about the way Kubiak has been running OTAs and training camp, and Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter talked this week about the differences he has seen in Kubiak compared to his predecessors in Las Vegas.
From Carpenter’s mail bag column on Wednesday…
“In Antonio Pierce’s first and only camp at the helm (2024), it was very loose and lacked cohesiveness. In Pete Carroll’s first and only camp at the helm (2025), it was as if I were back in college. Enormous sums of time were spent getting people “Hyped up” to compete, and it was far from efficient.
There were plenty of complaints from staff and players who felt like their time wasn’t respected, and it was as if they wanted it to be a giant get-together. One player told me, “I think they want the atmosphere to be like a lock-in in middle school. I’m a grown-*** man.
There were plenty of complaints from staff and players who felt like their time wasn’t respected, and it was as if they wanted it to be a giant get-together. One player told me, “I think they want the atmosphere to be like a lock-in in middle school. I’m a grown-*** man.
This year was highly efficient. Planned to the last second. Every moment from the start of the schedule to the end was packed and productive. It was a business meeting. Klint Kubiak has the approach that playing in the NFL, and for a franchise like the Raiders, is a privilege, and if you need to be motivated, go somewhere else.”
For what it’s worth, there isn’t anyone comparing Kubiak to Pierce or Carroll, but he does have some similarities to former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
In June, Carpenter talked about the perceived differences between Kubiak and McDaniels from his perspective and what players told him about McDaniels’ failed tenure…
“That’s not Klint. Klint is a guy that when he’s happy, he’s talking to you. Klint is a guy when he’s happy, he’s communicating to you. Klint is a guy that when he’s when he’s telling you, ‘Hey, I like this, I don’t like this.’ And so, they appreciate he’s very communicative. [Don’t] think he’s coming off as a non-communicative person because that’s not the case at all. A couple of people have mentioned that specifically. They think he’s extremely communicative.
I had one player who would tell me about Josh McDaniels… they liked him the person off the field… away from football and you can be away from football in the building. But they said, I don’t think there’s anything Josh McDaniels dislikes more than having to say, ‘meeting is over.’
Last year, under Pete, there was a lot of meetings. But they weren’t always efficient. I’m not going to get into detail. I would just tell you, there was one particular meeting of which I was made aware, where one of the coaches was teaching something and talking about something [with] his boss… and the players are sitting there, and literally there’s a discussion going on among the coaches. That stuff should be all handled at meetings, coaches’ meetings, so that when you get into a classroom setting, it’s boom, boom, boom, boom efficiency…
x: @raidersbeat