A recent report pegged Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as the favourite for the Raiders’ head coaching emptiness. While no agreement was immediately struck upon the completion of Kubiak’s second interview with Las Vegas brass — nothing could be finalized until after Super Bowl LX — the club is “zeroing in” on Kubiak, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Pelissero’s NFL Network colleague, Ian Rapoport, says the Raiders consider they’ve their guy.
More importantly, Kubiak himself intends to work out a cope with Las Vegas, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Kubiak, who also took a second interview for the Cardinals’ HC post on Saturday, was one of the popular candidates on this 12 months’s cycle. In all, he interviewed with seven of the ten clubs in need of a head coach.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was among the many candidates who interviewed twice with the Raiders. Based on The Athletic’s Joe Person, Evero was still in contention to be hired in the course of the time when Kubiak was weighing his options.
Las Vegas’ opening was not seen as particularly desirable. The club just finished a 3-14 season, doesn’t have a very inspiring roster outside of a few high-end players, and plays in a difficult AFC West. Nevertheless, the Raiders do have two things going for them: the No. 1 pick within the 2026 draft, and the second-most projected cap space within the league (just shy of $90MM, per OverTheCap.com).
With that No. 1 overall pick, the expectation is that the Raiders will select reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who quarterbacked Indiana to a 16-0 season and a CFP National Championship in 2025. Mendoza is well the perfect passer in his class, and Las Vegas was said to be searching for an offensive-minded HC to pair with their presumptive top draft selection.
With Kubiak, the team has exactly that. The 38-year-old’s stock has risen sharply in recent times, including three different offensive coordinator stints. Each of Kubiak’s tenures with the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks have proven to be only one 12 months in length, but they’ve elevated his status as considered one of the league’s most highly regarded offensive minds. Kubiak’s NFL resume also includes pass-game coordinator duties with the Broncos (2022) and 49ers (2023).
A coach in various capacities dating back to 2010, Kubiak has never led a university or pro staff before. He represents an unknown because of this, but that can be true of many other first-time head coaches hired in the course of the 2026 cycle. The Raiders will aim for stability on the sidelines with this hire, something which has been sorely lacking in the course of the franchise’s Vegas period. Changes on the coaching staff and within the front office have been commonplace in recent times.
A housecleaning took place last offseason with head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco each being dismissed after just one full season of their respective roles. The Raiders brought in John Spytek as GM, making him a part of a front office influenced largely by minority owner Tom Brady. Together, they played a key role in hiring Pete Carroll as head coach.
Expectations were high for no less than modest success in 2025, with Carroll and a reunion with quarterback Geno Smith seeming to offer a robust floor for the Raiders. Not much (if anything) went in response to plan, nevertheless, with Carroll firing two of his coordinators in the course of the campaign. No observers were surprised when Carroll himself was dismissed someday after the season ended. That began a lengthy search, one which has now landed on Kubiak. Brady and Kubiak “hit it off” in the course of the interview process, Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler adds.
The Seahawks thrived with Kubiak and latest quarterback Sam Darnold in place for 2025. Seattle earned the No. 1 seed within the NFC before winning two straight home games to succeed in next week’s Super Bowl. A powerful defense has contributed greatly to their shared success over the course of the season, but Darnold was highly productive within the NFC title game (321 yards, three touchdowns, no giveaways). It would be interesting to see how the Seahawks fare next season with one other latest OC in place, the third since Mike Macdonald took over as head coach.
Provided the Kubiak agreement will turn out to be finalized after the Super Bowl, the Cardinals loom because the only NFL team with a head coaching emptiness. Kubiak’s decision to hitch the Raiders will thin Arizona’s list of ultimate candidates even further.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.