The 2026 NFL schedule is out for the Las Vegas Raiders, and one aspect is that the team has no primetime games. Moreover, the league decided not to even give the Silver and Black a Thursday Night Football game.
Still, there’s a chance the Raiders get flexed into primetime, but as things stand, that’s not the case right now. As a result, it might feel like a cold reality that the NFL doesn’t want a rebuilding Silver and Black team in a standalone game, despite the team being among the most popular.
Last season, Las Vegas was in a couple of primetime games, and it didn’t go well for them. Because of that, former Raiders offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy isn’t surprised by the NFL’s decision.
“You won three games last year,” Kennedy said on the May 15 edition of the “Raiders Squad Show.” “What do you expect? The TV revenue is all about generating hype around teams that deserve it.
“When the Raiders had primetime games last year, they didn’t look good. Remember the Cowboys game? Remember the Chargers game? They didn’t look good. Nobody wants to see that.”
Raiders Need to Earn Primetime Slots
The Raiders do have the No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, who could’ve tilted the game in Las Vegas’s favor. However, with Kirk Cousins in the fold, the league probably didn’t want to risk having Cousins in that game rather than Mendoza.
Nonetheless, with no primetime games, Kennedy believes that it will help the Raiders in the long run when preparing for matchups.
“You’ve got to earn it,“ Kennedy added. “That’s why teams, when we first look at the schedule, as I’ve said in the past, my theory was: When do we play at Kansas City? When do we play at Denver? And how many primetime games do we have?
“I know it looks good on paper, but most players I know hated Monday night games and hated Thursday night games. Some of them even hated Sunday night games because you get into a rhythm and a routine as the season goes on, and you want to maintain that rhythm and routine.
“Monday night throws it off. You go through the entire weekend amped up and ready to play, then you’ve got to wait until Monday night. If you’re on the West Coast, you’re waiting until Monday evening, literally Monday night. So a lot of time transpires. Same thing with Thursday. It throws off your routine. So I’m not surprised. You’ve got to earn primetime games these days.”
NFL Explains Reason for No Primetime Games for Las Vegas
Much like Kennedy said, the Raiders need to play their way into these primetime slots with wins. The NFL feels the same way. According to NFL VP of broadcasting planning Mike North, the Raiders have to achieve the right to be showcased on primetime.
“As far as the Raiders go, I mean, nobody knows if or when Mendoza might play,“ North said (h/t Ryan McFadden of ESPN). “It would certainly be great if we knew.
“We don’t. But they went out and signed a very competent veteran quarterback, and if they find themselves, you know, hovering around .500 and playoff-relevant in the middle of the season, they might be a little more reluctant to pull the trigger and move to the rookie.
“And if they are playoff-relevant, they will find themselves flexed into bigger national television windows, whether it’s Sunday night, Monday night, or just a bigger footprint on a Sunday afternoon.”
Should the Raiders surprise this season and win games while showcasing Mendoza as a promising talent, perhaps they can be flexed into primetime or at the very least make the case for 2027.
Ex-Raiders Lincoln Kennedy Doesn’t Hold Back on NFL Decision