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PHOENIX, AZ\u2014The Las Vegas Raiders have the National Football League\u2019s (NFL) attention as they commence the most monumental rebuild since the legendary Al Davis took over the franchise in 1963.<\/p>\n
We are here at the NFL's Owners\u2019 meetings, and people are talking about the Raiders\u2019 process, details, and much more. \u00a0Here are some of the highlights.<\/p>\n
The Raiders are moving on from K Daniel Carlson, who, at the time of this writing, is still unsigned by another franchise. \u00a0He is a great person and an excellent kicker who had a terrible 2025 season, like the rest of the franchise. \u00a0You can\u2019t make excellent money at this position, and you can't afford to struggle, which he did. \u00a0The consensus is that someone will give him a chance to compete, but he won\u2019t get an elite contract.
Jacob Bobenmoyer, the Raiders' long-snapper, is another great person who has performed at a high level in the past. \u00a0Last year was not that year, and after an abysmal 2025, the Silver and black are moving on.<\/p>\n
Per a league source, I received this on Saturday: \u00a0\u201cRaiders went to Boston College to workout long snapper Ben Mann privately yesterday.\u201d \u00a0Also, per a league source, they held a workout \u201cwith kicker Luke Drzewiecki at New Mexico.\u201d
Kevin Stefanski, despite being fired by the lowly Cleveland Browns, is a two-time Coach of the Year and knows Klint Kubiak<\/a> and new OC Andrew Janocko well. \u00a0He raved about the new head coach and offensive coordinator, and I asked him about the respect Kubiak has among his players.
You can listen to our entire exchange below, and the respect these two men (Kubiak & Janocko) have for one of the most respected men in the NFL is impressive.
I had the chance to speak to Mike Macdonald, the Super Bowl<\/a> Champion coach from a few weeks ago, about Kubiak. \u00a0He also echoes Kubiak's approach to his coaching style. \u00a0The secret to his success is that he isn\u2019t duplicitous. \u00a0He is genuine, and that authenticity in a synthetic world is a very big deal. \u00a0You can check out our exchange below.
I asked GM John Spytek today whether he had heard anything from the NFL regarding Christian Wilkins<\/a>, and he has not. \u00a0Furthermore, he doesn\u2019t have a timeline as to when he will. \u00a0I have stated previously that people around the NFL originally told me that, starting this week and no later than the start of the NFL Draft, they would anticipate and answer. \u00a0That isn\u2019t definitive; it is speculative, but it is speculative from people in the league who would have some semblance of an idea of when this gets resolved. While no one I have spoken to from around the league expects 100% relief for the Raiders, they all anticipate some relief for the Spytek and the Silver and Black.
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Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience. He serves as the Senior Writer for NFL and College sports, and is the beat writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he is the editor and publisher for several sites On SI. Carpenter is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
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