The Las Vegas Raiders might finally be building something. After two decades of disappointment, new head coach Klint Kubiak seems to be the real deal.
Plus, rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza has a very bright future ahead of him. That said, the Raiders are still a work in progress. The roster has some glaring holes.
That doesn’t mean a Super Bowl couldn’t be coming this decade. ESPN’s Ben Solak predicted the next five Super Bowl winners, and he believes the Raiders will take home the Lombardi Trophy in 2029 after a blockbuster trade for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston.
“I’m buying all the stock in the Raiders’ offense even before Fernando Mendoza steps up to the helm,” Solak wrote. “It might take Mendoza a season or so to settle into NFL play — remember, his college offense was very different from Kubiak’s pro-style approach. More importantly, the Raiders need time to fill out their receiving corps. Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech are handy players, but Super Bowl winners tend to have a clear top-15 receiver. The Raiders might not pick early enough to find that guy in the draft, which leaves them the trade market.
“Who could it be? Maybe Justin Jefferson gets frustrated enough with the QB carousel in Minnesota that he forces his way out? Or Tetairoa McMillan loses patience with Bryce Young in Carolina. I’ll bet on Denzel Boston, the Browns’ rookie who looks like a real-deal playmaker early in the 2026 season. By 2029, he will have had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and will be ready to get out of a still-listless Browns franchise. The Raiders will send two first-round picks to get Boston in the 2029 offseason, then sign him to a $55 million deal. It’s considered a bargain. And most importantly, it will work.”
How Can Raiders Become True Contenders
The Raiders are doing a lot of the right things to build a contender. They hired a young, offensive-minded head coach and paired him with an exciting rookie quarterback.
The team is favoring building through the draft and finding young talent. Now, there are holes all over the roster. The Raiders likely need another defensive tackle and defensive end. The offensive line still has question marks, and the wide receiver room is very weak on paper.
These are things the Raiders can keep building, but it’ll likely take a year or two.
Can Raiders Be Contenders Before 2029?
What this season is showing is that the Raiders may already be ahead of schedule. If they manage to get into the playoffs, it would be just the third time since 2002.
That would be a great sign that Kubiak is one of the top young coaches in the NFL. Two wins don’t mean much, but the Raiders are used to losing games they are supposed to win. Even winning the easy games is a step in the right direction. Whether or not the Raiders become contenders soon will largely depend on how good Mendoza is once he gets on the field.
Raiders Predicted to Trade 2 First-Round Picks for WR in Super Bowl-Winning Move