The Las Vegas Raiders can officially get their offseason work underway now that Super Bowl LX has wrapped up. Shortly after the Seattle Seahawks took down the New England Patriots, their offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, revealed that he would be accepting the Raiders’ head coach opening, giving the struggling AFC West franchise a new leader for the foreseeable future.
After enduring another tough year in 2025, it’s safe to say that this is an important offseason for Las Vegas. However, one of their former All-Pro players, fullback Marcel Reece, believes that the team has gotten off on the right foot with the hiring of Kubiak. In an interview with casino.us, Reece provided Heavy on Raiders with some exclusive comments on his thoughts about Kubiak, minority owner Tom Brady, and star Indiana Hoosiers quarterback prospect Fernando Mendoza.
Marcel Reece is a Big Fan of the Raiders’ Decision to Hire Klint Kubiak
After firing Pete Carroll just one year into his tenure with the team, the Raiders took their time to hire a new head coach. It became clear that Kubiak was their top target, and ahead of the Super Bowl, reports emerged that the team intended to hire him. It was a bit of a risky move to wait and see if Kubiak would be willing to join them, but it paid off, and Reece thinks Las Vegas made the right decision, even going as far to compare him to Los Angeles Rams‘ head coach Sean McVay.
“I think he is the right candidate,” Reece said to Heavy on Raiders. “Right now, a lot of teams, a lot of owners, a lot of general managers, are looking for that new, young, up-and-coming offensive mind. It started with Sean McVay when he came in, took over the Rams and turned them around extremely quickly. Everyone’s looking for that next spark. Klint Kubiak is one of those guys.”
One guy who played a role in deciding to hire Kubiak is Brady, who is a minority owner of the Raiders. Brady’s involvement in the front office, despite not having an official role with the team in that department, has been the subject of much controversy, as some folks wonder if he’s fit to help in that capacity. Reece doesn’t see it that way, though, as he believes Brady’s knowledge of the NFL and the game of football makes him an asset Las Vegas must use.
“When it comes to Tom, the one thing that any NFL team wants to do is win, so the Raiders thought, ‘let’s get the greatest winner that has ever touched the field,'” Reece said. “If you think it’s a distraction, then you probably shouldn’t be there … You want to make sure you seize those moments and make the most of every advantage that you have. Having Tommy around can only be seen as an advantage to anyone in the building.”
Marcel Reece Hoping Raiders Select Fernando Mendoza in 2026 NFL Draft
GettyFormer Raiders Pro Bowler Marcel Reece.
Kubiak’s first task with the Raiders will involve building his coaching staff, but in the front office, all the attention is going to turn to free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. Las Vegas is armed with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and the expectation is that it will select Mendoza to be its new quarterback of the future. Public opinion on Mendoza is somewhat divided, but Reece singled out one attribute that he believes makes the Indiana star stand out from the rest of the pack.
“The greatest attribute that I see from Fernando Mendoza is his leadership,” Reece said of Mendoza. “He’s a man of strong faith, he loves God, and he doesn’t shy away from it, and he never wavers as a teammate … The way that he operates is not a gimmick. It’s not an act. It is authentically him. I love that for the Silver and Black, I love that for Las Vegas.”
Mendoza is the top quarterback prospect in this draft, and while he doesn’t compare as favorably to some quarterbacks we’ve seen in prior drafts, the Raiders’ need for a new signal-caller makes him the perfect fit. As Reece puts it, “When Commissioner Roger Goodell goes up there and he says, ‘With the number one pick of the 2026 NFL Draft’, I hope the next words that come out of his mouth are ‘The Las Vegas Raiders Select Fernando Mendoza, University of Indiana.'”
Exclusive: Ex-Raiders All-Pro Marcel Reese Compares Klint Kubiak to Super Bowl-Winning Coach