The Las Vegas Raiders continued to narrow down their head coaching options, and though it has taken a while, it appear their landing their top choice. The team flew to Seattle on Saturday to interview Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for the head coaching job.
The two sides didn’t come to an agreement right away, as he still had an interview with the Arizona Cardinals. However, after interviewing with them, Kubiak has made a decision. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders are planning to hire Kubiak as their next head coach, and he wants the job.
Now, the two sides can’t actually sign an agreement until after the Seahawks play in the Super Bowl, but it sounds like the contract is just a formality at this point. The Raiders likely don’t love that they have to wait to make things official, but it’s very rare for a coach to back out after making a verbal agreement.
It’s always possible that Kubiak has a change of heart, but it looks like the Raiders got their guy. Kubiak called plays for one of the best offenses in the NFL this season and helped lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. He’ll now be tasked with turning around the NFL’s worst offense.
What Kubiak Brings to Raiders?
The Kubiak hiring is the polar opposite of the Pete Carroll hiring from last year. He’s a young offensive mind who has never been a head coach before. This shows that the Raiders are committed to trying something different.
Kubiak is the son of former Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak. He has been around coaching his entire life and called plays for three different franchises.
With the Raiders likely using the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, it was important that they find a coach who could be good for his development. Kubiak has done excellent work with Sam Darnold this season, and Mendoza is the perfect type of quarterback to run his offense.
Cooper Kupp Praises Kubiak
It’s clear that Kubiak is good at designing an offense, but does he have the required leadership to command a team? According to Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp, that’s not going to be a problem for the coach.
“Guys love him,” Kupp said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You want to play for guys like Klint. Humility is one thing that I think is one of his special traits. He leans on guys. Obviously he’s a very smart ball coach and understands a lot of things about this game, but his humility to be able to talk to guys and see that if there’s something he’s asking somebody to do that maybe they can’t do for some reason or maybe there’s a better way to do it.”
Kupp didn’t want to see Kubiak leave, but expects him to have a lot of success.
“He’ll be great wherever he is,” Kupp said. “Hopefully it’s here, but you want everyone to be able to ascend and go do whatever they want to do. I just know he’ll be great no matter where he is.”
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