Raiders slide into offseason expectations at No. 27, with Fernando Mendoza and Klint Kubiak framed as the turning point

Yahoo Sports’ offseason power rankings, released June 30, list the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 27, a placement that suggests the team is still building more than it is contending. The same write-up treats the quarterback selection of Fernando Mendoza as the centerpiece of Las Vegas’ plan, and it pairs that decision with the arrival of new head coach Klint Kubiak as the most meaningful organizational change.

The ranking is notable for how directly it connects roster construction to coaching direction. Rather than describing Las Vegas as merely a work-in-progress, the article frames “finally” having a more coherent direction, anchored by Mendoza as the No. 1 draft pick. That emphasis puts the quarterback position at the center of the Raiders’ near-term expectations, because the path from offseason investment to regular-season results is typically the fastest way for a team to show improvement.

For context, the same power ranking list ranges through the bottom of the league in descending order, naming teams in the 32-to-27 window. Alongside the Raiders at No. 27, the article also previews the Dolphins at No. 32, the Jets at No. 31, the Cardinals at No. 30, the Browns at No. 29, and the Titans at No. 28, placing Las Vegas in a group of teams viewed as outside the immediate contention tier.

The Raiders’ offseason storyline in this particular ranking is not presented as a single move, but as a pairing. Mendoza is positioned as the foundational talent decision, while Kubiak is positioned as the coaching change meant to translate that roster shift into a functional game plan. For a franchise, that kind of alignment can matter as much as talent does, because quarterback development and scheme fit often determine how quickly a team can close gaps.

That said, an offseason power ranking is not the same as a verified forecast. It is an opinion snapshot built from the premise of what the team has done so far and what it could become, not a guarantee of outcomes. Readers should treat the Raiders’ No. 27 placement as a baseline expectation for the 2026 season, not as a measure of what the team will ultimately produce.

What to watch next for Las Vegas is whether the program can convert the Mendoza-Kubiak alignment into consistent on-field execution during the year. If the quarterback development arc and offensive identity become clearer under the new coaching direction, the Raiders would have a credible foundation to move up in similar power-ranking discussions later in the offseason and into training camp.

Meanwhile, the bottom-of-the-league grouping matters because it highlights how crowded the “still building” landscape is. The presence of multiple teams near Las Vegas in the list underscores that improvement will likely be measured against peers, not in isolation, as each organization tries to translate offseason changes into early-season traction.