Las Vegas, meanwhile, is starting almost from scratch. Pete Carroll lasted one season before getting fired after that 3-14 finish, and Kubiak walks in off a Super Bowl-winning stint as Seattle's OC with a mandate to fix everything at once — quarterback competition included, since Cousins, Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell are all in the mix for reps. Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty give the offense two legitimate building blocks regardless of who's throwing them the ball.
The Raiders actually closed last season with a win over the Chiefs, so there's at least a flicker of momentum heading into a new era — even if it came at the tail end of a lost year. The Chargers' finish tells a messier story: back-to-back playoff trips, but a third wild-card exit in four seasons and a stretch where they dropped 3 of their final 5, including a lopsided road loss to Denver. Jim Harbaugh's program is more established, but this isn't a team that's been steamrolling anybody down the stretch.
Keep an eye on the receiver rooms on both sides. Ladd McConkey is dealing with a hamstring issue for the Chargers, which would push more targets toward Quentin Johnston and Tre' Harris in a McDaniel scheme built to get guys the ball in space. For the Raiders, Jack Bech and Tre Tucker are drawing praise out of camp, but Maxx Crosby working back from a knee issue is the bigger swing factor — Vegas needs its best pass rusher right to have any shot at slowing down Herbert.
Neither team enters this one fully formed. The Raiders are betting a new voice and two elite skill-position pieces can turn around a historically bad season, while the Chargers are betting a scheme overhaul doesn't derail a roster that's already proven it can make the playoffs. That tension — established but shaky vs. brand new but talented — is what makes this an interesting early-season measuring stick in the AFC West.