Klint Kubiak Named Next Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach
Following an exciting Super Bowl LX victory, Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak has a new job. He was hired as the next Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. This move has been expected for weeks, but the Raiders and Kubiak made it official late last night.
In the modern NFL, the coaching carousel doesn’t wait for the parade. Before the Gatorade bath had even dried on Head Coach Mike Macdonald, the worst-kept secret in the league was confirmed on live television. Kubiak is trading the emerald rain of Seattle for the neon lights of the desert. Will he help bring the Raiders back to relevance?
The “Hell Yeah” Moment
Usually, these transitions are handled with a sterilized press release days after the big game. Agents bicker over contract language, and teams pretend they haven’t been talking for weeks. Kubiak, caught in the emotional riptide of a championship win, didn’t bother with the charade.
When NFL Network’s Stacey Dales pressed him on the field amidst the celebration, asking about the rumors swirling regarding the Raiders job, Kubiak didn’t flinch. “You guys know that I’m going to Las Vegas,” Kubiak said, a grin likely fueled by adrenaline and victory. “I’m fired up about it. Hell yeah, I’m going. Of course I’m going.”
It was a refreshing moment of honesty in a league that often thrives on obfuscation. But it also highlighted the bizarre emotional whiplash of NFL success. You win the ultimate prize, and your reward is immediately inheriting a 3-14 disaster that needs a complete overhaul.
The Architect Of the Seattle Resurgence
To understand why Raiders Minority Owner Tom Brady and GM John Spytek zeroed in on Kubiak, you only have to look at the scoreboard from Sunday night.
The Seahawks didn’t just win with defense; they won because Kubiak took an offense that had questions and turned it into a juggernaut. Under his guidance, the Seahawks ranked third in the league in scoring (28.4 points per game) and eighth in total offense.
Perhaps his greatest magic trick was the reclamation of Sam Darnold. The former high draft pick, often labeled a bust in previous stops, looked like a world-beater in Kubiak’s system. Darnold threw for over 4,000 yards in the regular season and played mistake-free football in the playoffs. Add in the schemed dominance of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, and it’s clear why Kubiak became the hottest commodity on the coaching market.
The Challenge Waiting In Las Vegas
Now, the hard part begins. Kubiak is leaving a well-oiled machine for a Raiders team that is, to put it mildly, mechanically broken. While Seattle was lighting up the scoreboard in 2025, the Raiders were dead last in scoring and total offense. The Pete Carroll experiment in Vegas failed spectacularly, resulting in a one-and-done tenure and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
This is where the narrative gets interesting. Kubiak isn’t just walking into a rebuild; he’s walking into a fascinating quarterback room. The Raiders currently have Geno Smith on the roster—the very quarterback Kubiak worked with when he first arrived in Seattle, before Smith was traded to Vegas. Smith commands a fully guaranteed salary of $26.5 million in 2026.
Does Kubiak try to rekindle the magic with Smith, or do the Raiders use that precious No. 1 overall pick on Indiana standout Fernando Mendoza?
With Brady helping pull the strings in the front office, the pressure will be immense. Brady knows elite quarterback play, and he likely sees in Kubiak a play-caller who can nurture a young talent like Mendoza while potentially leaning on a veteran bridge like Smith.
One Last Night in Seattle
For all the talk of the future, Sunday night was about the present. It was about a coordinator who stepped out of the shadow of his father, Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak, and carved out his own slice of NFL history.
“That’s up to God,” Kubiak said when asked about the future challenges of being a head coach. “We’re going to enjoy tonight.”
The Raiders fans are hoping that enjoyment translates to wins. They’ve seen the “offensive genius” label slapped on coaches before, only to be disappointed. But after watching what the Seahawks just did to the Patriots, there is genuine hope in Raider Nation. Kubiak fixed Sam Darnold. He built a champion. Now, Vegas is betting the house that he can do it all over again in Silver and Black.
