{"id":579708,"date":"2026-04-03T14:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/579708\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T14:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:10:16","slug":"4-big-raiders-takeaways-from-nfl-owners-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/579708\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Big Raiders Takeaways From NFL Owners Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

HENDERSON, Nev.\u2014The Las Vegas Raiders exited the annual NFL spring owners\u2019 meeting in Phoenix and, for the first time in many years, showed promising signs not only to their fan base but to the league itself that times are changing.<\/p>\n

For a fan base that has seen the past two decades engulfed in a sad slide in respect and reverence, reduced to the punchline of pundits and fans of other teams, it might be small, but it brings hope.<\/p>\n

\"Mark<\/p>\n

Mar 30, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

After the owners\u2019 meetings, the following four facts about this franchise cannot be overlooked.<\/p>\n

None of them is a guarantee of future success, but together, they are the ingredients of success, and for a famished fan base, that is and of itself inspiring. <\/p>\n

Four Facts We Know Now1. Discipline: On the Same Page<\/p>\n

Many would speculate that this is a given on any franchise, but that is why conventional wisdom is not always right.<\/p>\n

In the past, including last year\u2019s debacle of a season, you could see that there were differing opinions and thoughts. \u00a0Continuity was clustered more in clans than in an organization on the same page.<\/p>\n

\"Klint<\/p>\n

Mar 31, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

I remember thinking to myself, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound like a Pete Carroll offensive philosophy,\u201d or, \u201cThat isn\u2019t a Patrick Graham thought process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the words being spoken from the top to the bottom are of the same mind.<\/p>\n

Klint Kubiak\u2019s words themselves showed the organization’s discipline when discussing the thinking process behind selecting the number one overall pick in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

“Just with the pick itself, it’s just a daily conversation with John [Spytek] and our scouts. We have draft meetings coming up when we get back here, but we’re really spending a lot of time by ourselves watching tape, then we come together later in the day and talk about what we see and starting to put our board together. So, it’s just an ongoing process all the way up to draft day.”<\/p>\n

2. Direction: Heading To the Same Place, Together\"Las<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI<\/p>\n

Even during last year, and certainly many years previously, even when the team showed discipline, it was clear they didn\u2019t see the same direction.<\/p>\n

If we were to get in a car and head from Las Vegas to Dallas, there are many ways to make the trip. \u00a0It has often been evident, over the years covering this team and even before from the outside, that this franchise was not headed down the same path.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Last season, this team was in a \u201cWin now\u201d mindset, but from top to bottom, people had different maps and GPS directions, often leaving the franchise resembling a clown car of head-scratching, divergent directions, and instability.<\/p>\n

Three months into this rebuild, that is not the vision.<\/p>\n

Last season, multiple people inside the facility bemoaned Tom Brady\u2019s absence from the building while allegedly trying to influence.<\/p>\n

\"Las<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI<\/p>\n

Now it is coveted and wanted. \u00a0Kubiak didn\u2019t hide or run from it, off or on the record.<\/p>\n

“I mean, in all aspects of my job, I’m reaching out to him and asking for his advice, and he’s given advice, and what I’ve asked him is to give the advice that I really don’t want to hear. It’s okay to hurt my feelings. I’d rather it be that way. So, obviously, I have all the confidence in the world that we’re going to keep building that relationship. So, it’s been a good start. It’s just, it takes time. That’s relationships. They take time, and we’ve been putting in the time.”<\/p>\n

3. Drive: Everyone, All In<\/p>\n

Some people collect paychecks, some guys are simply there for the prestige, but the great ones are driven.<\/p>\n

Rob Leonard, the new defensive coordinator, is so similar to Kling Kubiak<\/a> that it is eerie. \u00a0Both men, highly esteemed as position coaches, never looked beyond their current positions. \u00a0Both men gave it their best every day.<\/p>\n

\"Las<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders DC Rob Leonard | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI<\/p>\n

For Kubiak, that led him from a position coach to the best offensive coordinator in football to the number-one option among first-time coaches.<\/p>\n

Rob Leonard has goals<\/a>, but he never sacrificed today in order to protect the future. \u00a0That saw him rise to the best defensive line coach in the National Football League and the best first-time defensive coordinator candidate.<\/p>\n

That drive now permeates the entire building. \u00a0It is now slowly becoming part of the DNA; the Raiders are driven.<\/p>\n

\"Las<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders DC Rob Leonard | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI<\/p>\n

Kubiak said as much when praising his players, who technically don\u2019t even have to be in the building right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s about 25 guys that are there working out with A.J. [Neibel] four days a week, five days a week right now. So, there’s already a culture of hard-working guys in our building. He’s an example of one of them.”<\/p>\n

\"Rob<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders DL Coach Rob Leonard from Mandatory Mini-Cam | Noah Scott Fahey, Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

4. Devotion=The Team, The Team, The Team<\/p>\n

Being a Spartan, this is difficult to type, but the great, and he was great, Bo Schembechler drilled this into his players for decades. \u00a0It is a fact that no Wolverine, or non-Wolverine, can argue with.<\/p>\n

You can have discipline and drive, and you can even share direction, but without devotion to the same goal, things can go sideways quickly.<\/p>\n

\"Klint<\/p>\n

May 11, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak looks on during the rookie minicamp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Pete Carroll, Rich Bisaccia, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock, Champ Kelly, Dave Ziegler, Tom Telesco, and John Spytek are all good men.<\/p>\n

All of them, in their own way, devoted men. \u00a0They didn\u2019t work out collectively because this is about devotion to the organization.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders Iconic Helmet | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

Say what you want about Al Davis and the Raiders<\/a> of old, but growing up 2,343 miles from Oakland, I can tell you that during their glory years, no one ever wondered whether those teams were devoted to the Silver and Black or what this team stood for.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this franchise had lost that.<\/p>\n

It has only been three months, and time tries trust, but all signs point to the fact that this team is devoted.<\/p>\n

\"Allegiant<\/p>\n

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Al Davis memorial torch at Allegiant Stadium with the Las Vegas strip as a backdrop. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

When Kubiak spoke, you could almost hear him channel the words, thoughts, and ideals of Al Davis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy else come to Vegas to be a part of this organization, to make it a consistent winner. That’s what we’re all striving for, but the process of putting an organization in that position, that’s why you come that’s the great challenge that it’s going to be. Now, when we say that, to me, yeah we’re embracing getting there, but we want to be aggressive in how we approach every game. We want to go win every game we play.”<\/p>\n

Reality\"Raider<\/p>\n

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders fan cheers after the Raiders defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 14-12 at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The NFL is a difficult place to win. \u00a0It takes many things, some you can control, like the aforementioned reasons for optimism, and some you can\u2019t control.<\/p>\n

Statistically, the odds are squarely against the Raiders.<\/p>\n

But in a city known for gamblers and winning big, I wouldn\u2019t bet against them. <\/p>\n

\"Raider<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders Fans were at Training Camp Today | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

It has only been three months. \u00a0This isn\u2019t going to be easy. <\/p>\n

Are the Raiders better today than they were when the season ended? \u00a0Absolutely, but they were terrible last season, and they have a long way to go.<\/p>\n

A way that this group has done everything to mitigate risk to ensure their success.<\/p>\n

\"Raider<\/p>\n

Raider Nation | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI<\/p>\n

None of us knows how this will end, but it is very clear from the owners\u2019 meetings that they are devoted, driven, disciplined, and headed in the same direction.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long time since you could say that.<\/p>\n

\"Raider<\/p>\n

Raider Nation Looks to the Las Vegas Raiders Future | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HENDERSON, Nev.\u2014The Las Vegas Raiders exited the annual NFL spring owners\u2019 meeting in Phoenix and, for the first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":579709,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,514,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-579708","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}