The Las Vegas Raiders are back where they always seem to end up: at the start of another reset, with the rest of the league watching to see if the organization can finally make a clean, aligned decision.
This time, the stakes are higher.
Las Vegas fired Pete Carroll on Monday after a 3-14 season, and owner Mark Davis said general manager John Spytek will lead football operations with minority owner Tom Brady, including the search for the next coach. The Raiders also hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. That combination creates leverage in interviews and, more importantly, accountability.
Kevin Stefanski is now available. Cleveland fired him Monday after a 5-12 season, ending a six-year run that included two playoff trips and two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards. If the Raiders are serious about pairing a rookie quarterback with structure, Stefanski is the most obvious call.
Stefanski would stabilize the Raiders offense…
The case is simple: Stefanski runs an offense with structure. It is built on the run game, play-action and clear sequencing. It gives the quarterback defined reads, limits free-for-all football and keeps the offense on schedule. That matters if Las Vegas uses the No. 1 pick on a quarterback such as Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, whose game is built on timing, rhythm and sound decisions.
The criticism is fair, too. Stefanski’s time in Cleveland showed that “quarterback-friendly” does not mean “quarterback-proof.” The Browns cycled through quarterbacks, and the results swung with them. The scheme can raise the floor, but it cannot replace high-level quarterback play. If the Raiders want an offense that dictates terms every week, they need to be confident Stefanski is more than a stabilizer—and that the quarterback they draft can carry the rest.
The “Patriot Way” just doesn’t work…
This is where Brady’s role matters most. Pro Football Talk reported Sunday that rumors are already circulating about a Patriots-leaning setup: Brian Flores as head coach, with Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. That kind of hire sells “culture.” The No. 1 pick, though, is about something else entirely: development. The Raiders cannot treat the quarterback plan like a subplot.
If Las Vegas brings in Stefanski, the interview should be direct and unsentimental. How, specifically, does he build the offensive line? Who owns the rookie quarterback’s development on Monday through Saturday? What is the plan when the first month gets ugly, as it often does? And in a Brady-influenced building, where does Stefanski’s authority begin and end?
Stefanski is not flawless. But he is one of the few candidates who can raise the floor immediately with structure, sequencing and answers. The harder decision for the Raiders is philosophical: Do they want the steady hand that makes the quarterback pick make sense—or another high-variance swing that could turn the No. 1 pick into collateral damage?
*Top Photo: Getty Images