Jon Gruden is thrilled about what lies ahead for the Las Vegas Raiders.
After the Raiders secured the rights to pick first in the 2026 NFL Draft, the former Las Vegas head coach celebrated with a captionless post on X showing only a GIF of the team’s flag waving.
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) January 5, 2026
The Raiders clinched the top pick in 2026 before they even took the field on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., earlier in the day.
With the 2026 No. 1 pick in the bag, the Raiders played the Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., free of any guilt.
Kicker Daniel Carlson made a career-best 60-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game to give the Raiders a 14-12 win that also snapped Las Vegas’ 10-game losing skid.
The Raiders enter the offseason full of uncertainties after winning just three games in the 2025 campaign, but that top pick gives the team something to feel good about its future.
Assuming that Las Vegas holds on to that pick, the Raiders can use it to address a glaring hole on their roster. They are already being linked to Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but other top draft prospects could attract the team’s attention.
Nearly 20 years after the Raiders picked eventual bust JaMarcus Russell No. 1 overall, they have a chance to land a player who could truly alter the franchise’s trajectory with another top pick.
