New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak addresses Maxx Crosby’s future in Las Vegas

They were introduced one by one, six former players who represent Raiders royalty. Four Hall of Famers. Five Super Bowl champions. All six at least participated in the big match. Three took their seats on the left and the other three on the right before new Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak was formally introduced Tuesday and sat with general manager John Spytek in the middle with the club’s three Lombardi Trophies in front of them. These players – Marcus Allen, Rich Gannon, Mike Haynes, Howie Long, Jim Plunkett and Charles Woodson – kept a serious look on their faces as if kickoff was about to begin. And, in a sense, it was. Their presence is a reminder of the daunting challenge Kubiak faces in trying to connect the present to the Raiders’ glorious past. The Raiders have not won a playoff game since their last Super Bowl appearance in the 2002 season. Since then, they have made the playoffs only twice, most recently during the 2021 season. Kubiak will be their fifth full-time coach since moving to Las Vegas in 2020. “It’s not an ordinary job,” Kubiak said, just two days removed from his job as the championship team’s offensive coordinator of the Seahawks Super Bowl. “It’s the silver and black. It’s the Raiders. It’s a historic franchise. So when the opportunity presented itself to stay in Seattle and continue there or have a chance to come here and compete with this organization, it was a no-brainer.” Kubiak acknowledged the task ahead of him, but it will take a day for him to attend the Super Bowl parade Wednesday in Seattle. He will then face a number of issues, including hiring a coaching staff, including offensive and defensive coordinators. He will also start thinking about what to do with the No. 1 overall draft pick the Raiders have, as well as the more than $91 million in salary cap space, according to overthecap.com. And then there’s the Maxx Crosby situation. Kubiak said he is just starting to hire his assistants and look at the team’s needs. He stopped short of saying the Raiders would draft Fernando Mendoza, even though it’s widely believed Las Vegas will welcome the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who guided Indiana to a highly improbable national championship. Owner Mark Davis watched Mendoza that night in Miami Gardens, Fla., and was joined by Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady. Davis suggested the organization was looking closely at Mendoza and that the Raiders preferred to hire a coach with offensive experience “that could grow with someone.” “In my mind, that’s the direction we wanted to go,” Davis said. “But at the same time, he had to win the job because we had good candidates that we talked to.” One of the biggest selling points was Kubiak’s work with quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold has completed 67.7% of his passes for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season. Drafted third overall by the New York Jets in 2018, Darnold was considered a failure until he led Minnesota to a 14-win season in 2024. Then came another 14-win season with the Seahawks that culminated with Darnold hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. “I’m really proud of the process we put in place,” Spytek said. “We decided to take our time, to be deliberate, meticulous, to find the right leader for this organization going forward. We have a particularly difficult offseason with the No. 1 overall pick and new leadership with the head coach, but that’s why it was so important for us to find the right person to lead this organization forward.” The elephant that wasn’t in the room during the press conference was Crosby. Multiple reports indicated that the star pass rusher wanted to leave the Raiders after being sidelined for the final two games of last season and that he was also not interested in a rebuild. But Crosby, even though he wasn’t in the squad room for the news conference, was in the building and among the Raiders to greet Kubiak upon his arrival. They even had coffee together. “We want him to be part of our success going forward,” Kubiak said. “There’s no doubt about it. He’s one of the best players in the NFL, so it’s a no-brainer to work with Maxx and see him continue to have success with this organization.” Davis said he definitely wants to keep Crosby in Las Vegas. “Maxx has been a great Raider,” Davis said. “He’s a big Raider.” Associated Press reporting