The Raiders have a new phrase around the building this spring, but Klint Kubiak has treated it like a daily requirement, not a catchphrase.
Earn the shield.
Asked why the team wore the Raiders shield on its helmets for minicamp after practicing without it earlier in the offseason, Kubiak pointed to the work, then made it bigger than the roster in the room.
“Our guys have really worked their tail off,” Kubiak said. “That’s an everyday thing for us, to earn the respect of the organization, of the Raiders that have come before us, players and coaches.”
It’s Kubiak’s way of translating commitment to excellence into the only thing Raider Nation cares about: just win, baby.
Kubiak said the staff has emphasized the franchise’s history and has walked players through “the great Raiders by position,” framing it as education before expectation.
Cousins feels the urgency, and that is the point
Kirk Cousins said that standard has a pulse. He described an edge to Kubiak’s approach that shows up before practice starts.
“There’s an urgency, probably the best word, that I’ve sensed from him as a head coach,” Cousins said. “It does cause me when I’m driving into work in the morning, I’m kind of like, I feel it. Like, I better be on today.”
That is what “earn the shield” is supposed to feel like in June: pressure with purpose, even for a veteran.
O’Connell says the QB room can’t hide from the work
Aidan O’Connell framed the quarterback dynamic the same way, saying the standard collapses fast if competition turns into secrecy.
“Withholding information from whoever, Fernando, whoever it is, is not beneficial to me or to anyone else,” O’Connell said. “It’s only going to make us better as a room if we’re all understanding it in the same way and speaking the same language.”
McCoy: no shortcuts, no promises
Assistant head coach Mike McCoy said the staff will let the competition settle on the field once camp arrives.
“There’s only one quarterback who’s going to be playing, and that’ll play itself out over training camp,” McCoy said.
McCoy also said Kubiak has reinforced the Raiders’ history with players through position-by-position videos of franchise legends, building context around what the shield is supposed to represent.
The summer warning that fits the message
Kubiak said the work does not pause when the team breaks from minicamp.
“You can ruin an offseason with 40 days away,” he said, adding that self-motivated players matter when coaches are not around daily.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
