By Alan Snel, LVSportsBi.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The Raiders’ identity in Las Vegas since their arrival here in the desert in 2020 is that there has been no identity.
The Raiders in Vegas began with Back-to-the-Future coach Jon Gruden, moved to the New England Patriots West model with coach Josh McDaniels/GM Dave Ziegler and eventually went the Seattle Seahawks South route with coach Pete Carroll.
The team failed no matter the regime.
The Raiders highlights in Las Vegas were a pair of interim coaches — Rich Bisaccia leading the team to the playoffs in 2021 after taking over for a resigned Gruden and Antonio McDaniels rekindling the old Raiders fire in 2023 when he took over for McDaniels.
The Raiders launched their Las Vegas presence in COVID-era 2020 when owner Mark Davis decided to not have fans in the seats in a stadium partially subsidized with $750 million in public dollars.
Now it’s 2026, with the Raiders’ former Oakland roommate — the MLB Athletics — building their new partially-subsidized stadium on the Strip about two miles from the Raiders’ stadium.
The NFL franchise is back to square one with new first-time coach Klint Kubiak, a part owner in Tom Brady and the 2026 overall number one draft pick, Fernando Mendoza, trying to lay a winning foundation after a dismal 3-14 campaign in 2025.
So, now it’s time to grind as the veterans and rookies are in training camp, with practices starting at 7:30 AM to beat the Las Vegas furnace heat that kicks into hot gear by mid-morning.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins will start as the Raiders QB, with Mendoza leading the second squad. For a franchise that seems to have coaching and player turnover on literally an annual basis, this is Mendoza’s franchise in the future. But for now, the 37-year-old Cousins will start.
His opening statement this week: “Good to get out here today, back with the guys playing football. We had our summer break and now it’s time to get to work. Good first practice. Guys had great energy, good spirit. We’re ready to go.
“I was in the locker room and practice starts at 7:30 [a.m.], it was probably like 7:10 [a.m.], and I’m the only guy in the locker room with like two other people. I’m like, ‘Do I need to be somewhere?’ It’s just because everybody’s so ready to go, ready to work. That’s the way you want it. So, everybody’s out in the field, ready to go.”
The team’s offensive line was awful in 2025 and then-rookie runner Ashton Jeanty was often buried under a mount of defenders during games.
But the Raiders signed an established center, Tyler Linderbaum, to anchor an offensive line that struggled mightily in 2025.
Linderbaum: “Guys that come in the building each and every day and want to improve, and that’s all you can ask for out of an offensive unit. There are not many more reps until we’re going to be playing our first preseason game, so the more we can gel during that OTA period time and now [Training] Camp is really critical and important. And each rep that we get is going to be really valuable.”
The Raiders will hold a practice at Allegiant Stadium Aug. 11 when tickets will cost only $5 each, while the preseason opener is two days later at Allegiant Stadium Aug. 13 when the Arizona Cardinals visit for the exhibition game.
The Raiders’ game experience at Allegiant Stadium is nothing like the experience at the Coliseum in Oakland. For Raiders games in Las Vegas, fans of the visiting teams like the Steelers, Packers and Chiefs sometimes take over sections in the stadium and the Raiders game feels like an NFL Experience as the once-proud Silver & Black try to find its winning ways from decades ago.
The Raiders open the regular season against the Dolphins here in Las Vegas Sept. 13, then play the Chargers, Saints, Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Rams. It could be a rough start for the Raiders.
PSA
