The Arizona Cardinals are just one of two remaining head coaching vacancies, along with the Las Vegas Raiders. While both are zeroing in on Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, it appears that the Cardinals’ efforts will be futile.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Donnie Druin, NFL buzz currently has the Cardinals on the outside looking in for the coveted head coaching candidate.
Arizona has spoken with over 15 coaching candidates this cycle to replace Jonathan Gannon. Kubiak is reportedly the preferred candidate of owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort.
Why Are the Arizona Cardinals Not Favorites for Kubiak Anymore?
While Kubiak may be the favorite of the Cardinals organization, the Cardinals are not necessarily the favorites for Kubiak.
Two reports have Kubiak either taking the head coaching job with the Raiders or returning to Seattle.
“The Raiders plan to interview Seattle OC Klint Kubiak over the weekend and then make a decision on their head coach, per sources,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “As one candidate predicted, ‘it’s probably (Kubiak’s) job to lose.’”
Seahawks beat reporter Gregg Bell says he believes Seattle has a “really good chance” to retain Kubiak during his appearance on Arizona Sports’ 98.7 FM.
The Cardinals are, according to many sources, the league’s worst situation to be thrust into. The Raiders aren’t much better in terms of the situation. While they have the No. 1 pick, which they will likely use on Indiana quarterback Fernado Mendoza, the offensive line is a major issue.
Not going to the Cardinals or Raiders is very much on the table, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson. A recent tweet by Anderson may be about Kubiak after all.
“Additionally, there is one hot coach in the Conference Championship round tomorrow who a league source says has -at least—been heard contemplating* potentially returning to his team, with some* of the remaining openings viewed as not attractive,” Anderson wrote.
That certainly fits the description of Kubiak.
Why is Kubiak a High Priority?
Kubiak could be the next Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears head coach who helped turn around the distraught franchise.
Kubiak’s Seahawks scored 28.4 points per game in 2025, third in the league.
While Seattle’s defense has been a large part of their NFC title team, the offense shouldn’t be forgotten. Quarterback Sam Darnold’s resurgence and the development of superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have been due to Kubiak.
Darnold threw for 4048 yards and 25 touchdowns during the season and has led the team to the Super Bowl. In the playoffs, Darnold has not thrown an interception.
Smith-Njigba has been in another stratosphere in 2025. He caught 119 passes for a league-leading 1793 yards and 10 touchdowns, being a first-team all-pro.
In the playoffs, he has caught 13 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
With a team that is surging and could win a Super Bowl this season, why would Kubiak leave a sure thing for a franchise that will set him up to fail? Kubiak could potentially wait for a better situation to appear next season, as Johnson did, rather than take a job this cycle.
Because of this, it is more likely that we will see Kubiak in Seattle blue next season than Cardinal red.
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