The Raiders have found their new head coach. But it will take at least another week before they can make it official.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is hopeful of working out a contract to take over the Silver and Black. Kubiak’s involvement in Super Bowl 60 prevents him and the club from finalizing the deal.
The 38-year-old Kubiak, who helped oversee the third-best offense in the NFL this year while getting a signature year from quarterback Sam Darnold, chose the Raiders over the Cardinals after meeting with both teams on Saturday in Seattle.
Kubiak spent time with Raiders owner Mark Davis at a Friday night dinner in Seattle before meeting with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek on Saturday in an interview that lasted just over two hours.
Brady and Kubiak found common ground in their meticulousness and football-driven mindsets. The prospect of working for Brady and Syptek, and the attractiveness of the Raiders holding the first pick in the NFL draft, which will almost certainly be used to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, were compelling reasons for Kubiak to decide to take the Raiders job.
Kubiak will replace Pete Carroll, who lasted just one season as the Raiders’ coach.
Carroll, who coached the Seahawks for 14 seasons from 2010-23, was fired by Las Vegas following the first season (3-14) of a three-year, $45 million contract.
Kubiak, the son of Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak, has also coached with the Saints, 49ers, Vikings, and Broncos.
In Kubiak’s first season in Seattle, the Seahawks ranked third in points per game at 28.4 and eighth in yards per game at 351.4.
His work with Darnold, whom he first crossed paths with in San Francisco in 2023 when Darnold was trying to get his career on track after failed stints with the Jets and Panthers, and Kubiak was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator, was an important component for Brady and Spytek, among other factors.
In Kubiak’s first season as Seattle’s offensive coordinator under Mike Macdonald — and free-agent signing Darnold’s first as the team’s quarterback — the Seahawks ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards (351.4 yards per game) and third in scoring (28.4 points per game) in finishing with a 14-3 record for the No.1 seed in the NFC.
The Raiders have gone from bad to worse on offense over the last three seasons, bottoming out last year by averaging a league-worst 14.2 points per game. The problems are multiple, including terrible quarterback play from multiple low-level signal callers, but scheme, innovation and play-calling have also been a problem.
Kubiak is viewed as one of the brightest offensive minds in the game and someone who can change all that for the better.
But Mendoza’s development remains the most pressing issue.
The Raiders can’t fumble his development, who immediately becomes the most important asset in recent franchise history. They need someone they can trust to get the most out of him.
Brady and co. understand the valuable asset they have with the top pick in the draft, and are cognizant of the need to develop Mendoza to maximize that asset. They needed a coach who they could be confident could meet that objective. Kubiak’s work with Darnold gives them some assurances that he can successfully develop Mendoza. It looks like they found their man in Kubiak.