PHOENIX (FOX5) — Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak addressed reporters at a roundtable session on Tuesday, discussing the team’s quarterback situation, Maxx Crosby’s return and the ongoing draft process.
Kubiak said the Raiders would like to add a veteran quarterback to the roster but acknowledged the situation may require a rookie to play immediately.
IT’S OFFICIAL:NFL announces Super Bowl LXIII will be in Las Vegas
“In a perfect world that he’s watching a mature adult go and run an offense and run the team,” Kubiak said. “But you just, you know, the situation is you might have that player, you might not. You might not have that veteran to show him the way. So he might come in and have to play immediately.”
Crosby’s return
Kubiak expressed relief when Crosby returned to the Raiders after a brief trade to the Baltimore Ravens.
“When [Spytek] came and talked to me about it, we sat down and my first thing was a smile,” Kubiak said. “We got Maxx back. Are you kidding me? That’s great.”
Kubiak said he gave Crosby a call after news of the trade falling apart came out, but said the defensive end was back in the building the next day doing rehab “as if nothing ever happened.”
“Maxx is the best player on our defense,” Kubiak said. “He’s going to be a leader on our team and a guy that we’re counting on to go win a lot of games with him before.”
Brady relationship growing
Kubiak said his relationship with minority owner Tom Brady continues to develop.
“We text almost every day,” Kubiak said. “We get on the phone. He’s extremely supportive, giving great advice, talking about his experience in New England, things that he did in Tampa.”
Kubiak said he has asked Brady to provide honest feedback.
“What I’ve asked him is to give the advice that I really don’t want to hear,” Kubiak said. “It’s okay to hurt my feelings. I’d rather it be that way.”
Draft process and center position
Kubiak emphasized the importance of the center position in his offense and praised new addition Tyler Linderbaum.
“He touches the ball in every play,” Kubiak said. “He makes the line calls. He calls protections. He calls directions. He makes dummy calls. He’s the leader, leader of the whole operation.”
Kubiak said the Raiders are in daily conversations about the draft and spending significant time watching tape.
“We have draft meetings coming up when we get back here,” Kubiak said. “But we’re really spending a lot of time by ourselves watching tape. And then we come together later in the day and talk about what we see and starting to put our board together.”
Building a winning culture
Kubiak said the Raiders focused on bringing in players from winning teams during free agency.
“You want accountable guys that obviously have produced on the field, coming from winning teams, guys that football is important to them,” Kubiak said.
He praised receiver Trey Tucker as a pleasant surprise on the roster.
“There’s about 25 guys that are there working out with AJ four days a week, five days a week right now,” Kubiak said. “So there’s already a culture of hardworking guys in our building.”
Kubiak said his family is moving to Las Vegas in about a month.
“We plan on being here for a long time,” Kubiak said.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
