Klint Kubiak Intends To Become Raiders’ Head Coach
A recent report pegged Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as the favorite for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy. While no agreement was immediately struck upon the completion of Kubiak’s second interview with Las Vegas brass — nothing can 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 believe they have their guy. 
More importantly, Kubiak himself intends to work out a deal 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 most popular candidates in this year’s cycle. In all, he interviewed with seven of the 10 clubs in need of a head coach.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was among the candidates who interviewed twice with the Raiders. According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, Evero was still in contention to be hired during 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, does not have a particularly inspiring roster outside of a couple of high-end players, and plays in a difficult AFC West. However, the Raiders do have two things going for them: the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, and the second-most projected cap space in 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 easily the best passer in his class, and Las Vegas was said to be seeking an offensive-minded HC to pair with their presumptive top draft choice.
With Kubiak, the team has exactly that. The 38-year-old’s stock has risen sharply in recent years, including three different offensive coordinator stints. Each of Kubiak’s tenures with the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks have proven to be just one year in length, but they have elevated his status as 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 college or pro staff before. He represents an unknown as a result, but that is also true of many other first-time head coaches hired during the 2026 cycle. The Raiders will aim for stability on the sidelines with this hire, something which has been sorely lacking during the franchise’s Vegas period. Changes on the coaching staff and in the front office have been commonplace in recent years.
A housecleaning took place last offseason with head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco each being dismissed after only one full season in their respective roles. The Raiders brought in John Spytek as GM, making him part of a front office influenced in large part by minority owner Tom Brady. Together, they played a key role in hiring Pete Carroll as head coach.
Expectations were high for at least modest success in 2025, with Carroll and a reunion with quarterback Geno Smith seeming to provide a strong floor for the Raiders. Not much (if anything) went according to plan, however, with Carroll firing two of his coordinators in the middle of the campaign. No observers were surprised when Carroll himself was dismissed one day after the season ended. That began a lengthy search, one which has now landed on Kubiak. Brady and Kubiak “hit it off” during the interview process, Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler adds.
The Seahawks thrived with Kubiak and new quarterback Sam Darnold in place for 2025. Seattle earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC before winning two straight home games to reach next week’s Super Bowl. A strong defense has contributed greatly to their shared success over the course of the season, but Darnold was highly productive in the NFC title game (321 yards, three touchdowns, no giveaways). It will be interesting to see how the Seahawks fare next season with another new OC in place, the third since Mike Macdonald took over as head coach.
Provided the Kubiak agreement will become finalized after the Super Bowl, the Cardinals loom as the only NFL team with a head coaching vacancy. Kubiak’s decision to join the Raiders will thin Arizona’s list of final candidates even further.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Offseason Outlook: Carolina Panthers
An optimistic viewpoint can tab the Panthers' 2025 season as clear progress. The team ended a seven-season playoff drought and pushed the high-powered Rams once there. Pessimism would conversely point to a 27th-ranked offense and a minus-69 point differential -- as the NFC South has been unable to get its act together in recent years -- to indicate considerable work needs to be done.
No firing rumors followed Dave Canales or Ejiro Evero, and the Panthers at long last have achieved a semblance of stability under David Tepper. The team still needs a better answer on Bryce Young, and more help is almost definitely coming on that side of the ball this offseason.
Coaching/front office:
- Reached extension with DC Ejiro Evero; DC interviewed for Falcons, Raiders, Steelers' HC jobs
Although Evero checks a key box in generating interview slips -- being a five-year Sean McVay assistant -- the Carolina DC has been a fixture in receiving them despite continually being tied to teams with losing records. This marks the fourth straight year Evero has coordinated the defense of a losing team only to be contacted for a head coaching interview. Las Vegas met with Evero twice this year. He remains connected to that search, as the Vegas job is vacant, but Klint Kubiak is the favorite for a Raiders team that has been tied to an offense aim during its latest HC search. The Panthers will otherwise have Evero back for a fourth season.
Klint Kubiak Emerges As Raiders’ HC Favorite
JANUARY 31: Kubiak’s second Raiders interview is now complete. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports it “went well,” although no agreement was worked out right away. Kubiak’s attention will now turn to his Cardinals follow-up.
JANUARY 29: One of two HC openings remaining on a frenzied 2026 carousel, the Raiders have a pivotal meeting with Klint Kubiak slated for Saturday. The Raiders can meet a second time with the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator this week, but they cannot officially hire him until after Super Bowl LX.
This scenario has played out with some candidates in the recent past. The Saints waited until after Super Bowl LIX to hire Kellen Moore, though the sides had an agreement in place before the game, while the Colts and Cardinals did the same after Super Bowl LVII in hiring Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon. The 49ers proceeded this way with Kyle Shanahan, while the Colts had planned to before Josh McDaniels backed out of an agreement. The Raiders have company for Kubiak, though.
The Cardinals’ post-Gannon HC search also includes a Saturday second interview with Kubiak. It is possible the Seattle play-caller opts to stay with Sam Darnold — on a team favored to win Super Bowl LX — for a second season rather than accept one of the jobs other candidates have passed on. Klay Kubiak, Klint’s younger brother, was one of those who withdrew from the Las Vegas search. That could matter, as Klint Kubiak may be the favorite for the job.
The Raiders are believed to have Klint Kubiak as their HC favorite, according to the California Post’s Vincent Bonsignore. Davis Webb was viewed as the other frontrunner, but he has since backed out of the race. That sets the stage for Kubiak, who may have a Raiders-or-Cardinals decision to make.
Kubiak, 38, has yet to stay in an OC role longer than one season. His 2021 and ’24 gigs (in Minnesota and New Orleans, respectively) ended after those teams fired their HCs. The Saints’ Moore hire led Kubiak to Seattle, and he reunited with Darnold — the 49ers’ backup during Kubiak’s 2023 San Francisco stop. Darnold played well in the NFC championship game, guiding the Seahawks to a shootout win despite recently suffering an oblique injury. The Seahawks are now favored to win their second Super Bowl, giving Kubiak considerable momentum.
While Webb was viewed as the top Kubiak challenger, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Panthers DC Ejiro Evero is not out of the running just yet. It would appear Evero is an underdog, but he did receive two interviews. This sets up an interesting duel between coworkers on the 2022 Broncos’ staff. Kubiak was Webb’s predecessor as Denver’s QBs coach, with Evero as Broncos DC that year. The Nathaniel Hackett–Russell Wilson partnership combusted quickly in a 5-12 season, but both Kubiak and Evero landed on their feet.
Evero has been the Panthers’ DC for the past three seasons. He signed an extension before the 2025 campaign began. The Falcons and Steelers sent Evero interview slips this year, but the Raiders are the only team to interview him twice. Evero presented a detailed offensive plan during his second Vegas meeting, per Fowler.
The Raiders will naturally be interested in pairing Kubiak with likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza; this reality came up recently, with Kubiak and Webb emerging as frontrunners after defense-minded leaders Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll busted. But the Raiders showed strong interest in Jesse Minter during his second interview, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. The Raiders did not extend Minter an offer yet, but Breer notes the team was warming to him as HC. But Minter met with the Ravens again soon after and agreed to return to Baltimore.
The loser of this apparent Kubiak derby would likely be forced further down their respective lists. Both teams had Joe Brady in the building before the Bills promoted him, and Anthony Campanile bowed out of the Cardinals’ search. Arizona is believed to have Rams OC Mike LaFleur as a finalist as well. He could be hired at any point, with the Seahawks eliminating the Rams last week.
Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Raiders’ expansive search — which has featured a few names exit early — looks as of Thursday night:
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Conducted second interview 1/25
- Brian Daboll, former head coach (Giants): Conducted second interview 1/27
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Conducted second interview 1/20
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Mentioned as candidate
- Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator (Packers): To conduct second interview 1/21
- John Harbaugh, former head coach (Ravens): Contacted
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed 1/8
- Klay Kubiak, offensive coordinator (49ers): Interviewed 1/18; withdrew from search
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): To conduct second interview 1/31; frontrunner
- Mike LaFleur, offensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Mike McDaniel, former head coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/19
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Conducted second interview 1/20
- Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/8
- Nate Scheelhaase, pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Chris Shula, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Kevin Stefanski, former head coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/8; withdrew from search
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Conducted second interview 1/26; withdrew from search
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/19/26
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Buffalo Bills
- DT Tommy Akingbesote, LB Jimmy Ciarlo, OL Travis Clayton, DB Te’Cory Couch, CB M.J. Devonshire, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR Stephen Gosnell, WR Mecole Hardman, LB Keonta Jenkins, DE Andre Jones Jr., DT Zion Logue, DB Daryl Porter Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- CB Michael Reid
Pittsburgh Steelers
Rico Dowdle Seeking Multiyear Deal, Lead Role; Unlikely To Re-Sign With Panthers?
After spending his first five NFL seasons in Dallas, where he eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in 2024, running back Rico Dowdle left for Carolina last March. Dowdle’s one-year pact with the Panthers included a $2.75MM base salary and a max value of $6.25MM. The deal worked out well for both sides. Dowdle went over 1,000 yards again and helped the Panthers to an NFC South title.
Although the Panthers only managed an 8-9 record in the regular season, they pushed the Rams to the limit in a 34-31 wild-card round loss last Saturday. With Dowdle two months from returning to free agency, that may go down as his last game as a Panther.
General manager Dan Morgan told reporters that Dowdle hasn’t given any indication he’s exiting (via David Newton of ESPN), but the soon-to-be 28-year-old has made it clear he wants to be a lead back. Dowdle’s workload decreased toward the end of the season, which he said will impact whether he re-signs with the team.
“That definitely is a factor,” he said. “There’s options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries].”
In Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers already had a well-compensated starting back on hand when Dowdle joined them. Hubbard, then in the midst of his first 1,000-yard season, inked a four-year, $33.2MM extension in November 2024.
Hubbard entered 2025 as the Panthers’ No. 1 back, a role he held for the first four weeks of the season. He sat out the next two games with a calf injury, though, and Dowdle feasted during his absence. In wins over the Cowboys and Dolphins, Dowdle combined for a jaw-dropping 389 yards on 53 carries. He added two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and chipped in another 84 yards on seven catches.
Hubbard returned the next week, but he logged fewer carries than Dowdle in nine of the Panthers’ last 10 regular-season games. Dowdle totaled 12 or fewer rushes in three straight games from Week 16 through 18, however, and was a non-factor in the playoff loss. He notched five carries for nine yards against the Rams, while Hubbard racked up 46 yards and two scores on 13 attempts.
Dowdle is now preparing to test the market in hopes of securing a multiyear deal, according to Person, who casts doubt on the South Carolina native signing a second Panthers contract. He’ll shop himself around the league after posting the first 17-game season of his career and rushing for a personal-best six scores. The rest of his numbers are virtually identical to his 2024 output.
Over a 16-game span in his last year with the Cowboys, Dowdle amassed 1,079 rushing yards on 235 carries (4.6 YPC). He also caught 39 of 49 targets for 249 yards and three TDs. In his first (and perhaps only) Carolina season, Dowdle racked up 1,076 yards on 236 totes (4.6 YPC). As a pass catcher, he pulled in 39 of 50 targets for 297 yards and a score.
Dowdle, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020, only had 96 carries under his belt before his breakthrough effort in 2024. He at least showed that wasn’t a fluke in 2025, but it’s up in the air whether a second straight 1,000-yard season will lead to multiyear offers. With Breece Hall, Travis Etienne, Kenneth Walker, Javonte Williams and J.K. Dobbins also among pending free agents, Dowdle may be stuck in a crowded class of running backs when the market opens in March.
Commanders Hire D.J. Williams As QBs Coach
The Commanders are already transitioning from Kliff Kingsbury to David Blough at OC, giving a recently retired quarterback the play sheet ahead of his 31st birthday. Washington is now adding another key voice for Jayden Daniels.
D.J. Williams, son of Commanders exec and former Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, is coming over from the Falcons to be Washington’s next QBs coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. D.J. Williams spent the past two seasons with the Falcons, first as assistant QBs coach and then as QBs coach.
This decision comes after the Panthers made the move to keep another Commanders candidate. Carolina is promoting assistant QBs coach Mike Bercovici to pass-game coordinator, insider Jordan Schultz tweets. Bercovici received an interview request from the Commanders about the job but will remain on Dave Canales‘ Carolina staff. Bercovici, 32, has been with the Panthers since Frank Reich‘s 2023 stopover.
Previously a five-year Saints assistant, Williams will join his father in Washington after interviewing for the job. The former Grambling State QB mentored Michael Penix Jr. over the past two seasons, being hired just before Atlanta completed an unusually assembled quarterback room by signing Kirk Cousins to a big-ticket contract and then drafting Penix. The latter was inconsistent before being shut down due to injury this season, but Washington will bring in his position coach to work with Daniels.
This will be an interesting setup for the Commanders, who jettisoned a seasoned play-caller in Kingsbury. Blough was on the Lions’ OC radar, leading to this Commanders promotion. Blough entered the 2025 season as Washington’s assistant QBs coach, moving up a rung on the ladder when QBs coach Tavita Pritchard became Stanford’s HC. It will now be Blough overseeing Williams as the top offensive staffers in Washington ahead of Daniels’ third season.
Bercovici has been part of Bryce Young‘s development since the diminutive passer’s 2023 arrival, but he also worked both under Kingsbury in Arizona (2020-22) and with Daniels at Arizona State. Bercovici was with the Sun Devils as a graduate assistant in 2019, Daniels’ freshman season with the then-Pac-12 program. It would appear the Panthers’ decision to promote Bercovici prevented a reunion with the standout quarterback, but Doug Williams certainly carries plenty of clout in Washington. The former Washington starting QB, now working in an advisory role, has been in the franchise’s front office since 2014.
Steelers Submit HC Interview Request For Ejiro Evero
The Steelers are slightly behind other teams in terms of seeking out candidates for their head coaching vacancy. They continue to move quickly in establishing a list of initial targets, though.
Pittsburgh has requested an interview with Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. That represents the fifth active NFL DC to receive a slip from the Steelers. Owner Art Rooney II left the door open to a deviation in approach with respect to finding Mike Tomlin‘s replacement during yesterday’s remarks, but for now a blueprint appears to be in place which is similar to previous Pittsburgh searches.
Tomlin, just like Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll before him, was a young coaching candidate with a defensive background at the time of his hire. No member of that trio had been a head coach at the NFL level when they took charge of the Steelers. Evero fits the same profile, and it will be interesting to see if he or another one of the staffers in a similar position emerges as a finalist.
Evero signed an extension with the Panthers prior to the start of the 2025 campaign. The 45-year-old can be expected to continue his Carolina tenure into next season and beyond as a result, unless of course he lands a head coaching opportunity. Evero has received interview requests from the Falcons and Raiders as part of their ongoing searches. Interest on the Steelers’ part has now emerged as well, confirming Evero’s status as one of the top defensive coaches on the market.
After one season as the Broncos’ DC, Evero took the same position in Carolina. Results have varied over the past three seasons, with Carolina undergoing a number of roster changes during that span. In 2023, though, Evero’s unit ranked fourth in the league in points allowed. The Panthers finished mid-pack in both total and scoring defense this season en route to a postseason appearance.
Here is an updated look at where things stand early in the Steelers’ search:
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interview requested
- Marcus Freeman, head coach (Notre Dame): Rumored candidate; staying at Notre Dame
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Interview requested
- Nate Scheelhaase, pass game coordinator (Rams): Interview requested
- Chris Shula, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interview requested
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interview requested
WR Adam Thielen Announces Retirement
Retirement rumors followed Adam Thielen in 2025, and the veteran wide receiver will indeed step away from the game. The 13-year vet announced his retirement Wednesday following a late-season Steelers cameo.
Suiting up with Pittsburgh after a waiver claim, Thielen was with three teams in 2025. The Panthers traded Thielen to the Vikings in August, giving the accomplished pass catcher a chance to return home to a team attempting to follow up its 14-3 campaign with another playoff berth. As that fizzled, Thielen wound up on a postseason-bound club after the Steelers claimed his contract in December.
Once Minnesota moved on, it became known Thielen would retire after the season. He played an auxiliary role in the Steelers’ loss to the Texans on Monday night, catching two passes for 25 yards. Thielen also posted a 1,000-yard season as a Panther in 2023. But he will be best remembered for his contributions in his home state.
Playing 11 seasons with the Vikings, Thielen ranks in the top five in receptions, yardage and touchdown catches with the franchise. His 55 TD grabs as a Viking trail only Cris Carter and Randy Moss in team history. For his career, Thielen caught 64 touchdown passes, adding nine with Carolina. No additional scores came with Pittsburgh, but the former UDFA did carve out a role as Aaron Rodgers searched for tertiary targets alongside D.K. Metcalf.
Starring at Division II Minnesota State, Thielen became one of the most unlikely wide receiver success stories by catching on with the Vikings after a rookie minicamp tryout. Following a 2013 redshirt year of sorts, Thielen became a key player during the Mike Zimmer seasons. After finishing with fewer than 150 receiving yards in 2014 and ’15, Thielen erupted for 967 during Sam Bradford‘s 2016 Minnesota season and sustained that momentum after that year. Thielen eclipsed 1,200 yards in 2017 and ’18, topping out with a career-high 1,373 in Kirk Cousins‘ Vikes debut, and saw his first stint with the franchise last through the 2022 season.
The Vikings gave Thielen two extensions during his initial Twin Cities tenure. Minnesota re-upped Thielen on a four-year, $19.25MM extension in 2017 — after the team had applied a second-round RFA tender. That proved to be incredibly team-friendly, and the Vikings returned to the table to give their then-Stefon Diggs complement a four-year, $64.8MM deal in 2019. The Vikings had both Thielen and Diggs on big-ticket deals in 2019, but they traded the mercurial standout to the Bills in March 2020. Minnesota then added Justin Jefferson as its lead option, but Thielen remained an essential piece in the Cousins-piloted offense.
Thielen combined for 24 TD receptions over Jefferson’s first two seasons, helping Cousins to big numbers (as the QB signed two Vikes extensions). After Kevin O’Connell‘s first season produced a 13-win showing, the Vikings released Thielen upon being unable to agree on a reworked contract. A nice market formed for the street free agent, and the Panthers ponied up $25MM over three years to give their to-be-determined No. 1 overall pick (eventually Bryce Young) a veteran to target. While Carolina missed on some investments during Scott Fitterer‘s final year as GM, Thielen totaled 1,014 receiving yards to lead the woeful 2023 Panthers edition by a wide margin.
Rebuffing trade interest in Thielen in 2024, the Panthers reworked his contract this past year but eventually relented on a trade. They sent Thielen back to Minnesota in a deal that brought a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2026 fifth to Carolina. Thielen being active for more than 10 games in 2025 triggered a condition on the Vikings’ side of the trade; that bumped the 2026 pick Minnesota received to a sixth-rounder. The Vikes also collected a 2027 seventh in the late-summer swap.
Thielen’s second Vikings stint did not offer much of consequence, as Minnesota fell out of contention during a rocky J.J. McCarthy debut season. Thielen surpassed his Minnesota 2.0 output (eight receptions) by catching 11 passes in just five Steelers regular-season games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/14/26
Here are today’s midweek minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: WR Tyrell Shavers (story)
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: S D’Anthony Bell
Houston Texans
- Reverted to season-ending IR: CB Ajani Carter
New England Patriots
- Designated for return from IR: RB Terrell Jennings
After tearing his ACL, further thinning out the Bills’ postseason wide receiving corps, Shavers has been placed on injured reserve. Buffalo has an experienced name or two on its practice squad that could end up filling in.
Carter wasn’t able to make it off IR within his 21-day practice window. He’ll revert back to IR without the ability to be activated again this season.
Panthers Will Pick Up QB Bryce Young’s 5th-Year Option
Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said on Tuesday (via The Athletic’s Joseph Person) that the team would pick up Bryce Young‘s fifth-year option for the 2027 season.
Young, 24, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has met the playtime requirements to be in the second tier of fifth-year options, currently projected by OverTheCap to be $26.53MM for quarterbacks. After a rough first two years in the NFL, he took some strides in 2025, enough for the Panthers to affirm their belief in him.
“I think Bryce has shown flashes of greatness this year against high-level competition,” Morgan said. “As a team, we weren’t as consistent as we wanted to be on a game-to-game basis.”
Young was not especially consistent, either, with only marginal improvements over his 2024 stats. The “flashes” to which Morgan is referring are likely Young’s four fourth-quarter comebacks and six game-winning drives in 2025, which matched his total from his first two seasons.
“I just felt like he had a lot more command out there this year, and really just coming into his own and getting better every week and just attacking every day,” Morgan added. “And that’s really all you can ask for from any player, let alone your quarterback.”
Despite his effusive praise of his young QB, Morgan was non-committal on potential extension negotiations this offseason, per Person, saying only that “it’s still up in the air.” That is a sensible position considering that Young has yet to prove that he is worth a multi-year extension in a pricey quarterback market.
Young will be much more expensive in 2027, and an extension would likely raise his pay further. The Panthers have leaned on veteran backups for the last three years, but Morgan indicated (via Person) the team was open to bringing in a younger passer this offseason. That will make it easier to build a roster in 2027 and potentially beyond, as Carolina would not have to pay for a premium backup. Adding a young quarterback now also gives the Panthers more options for the future. He would have two seasons to develop behind Young; by then, the team would have an idea of his potential as a starter. If Young has not made more progress, the Panthers could opt to part ways with him and move onto a younger, cheaper quarterback.
Such a decision is a long ways away, and Young’s performance in 2026 and 2027 could pre-empt it entirely. For now, Carolina has made its next decision regarding Young and can now turn their offseason attention to the rest of the team.