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
Winner by attrition.
Exactly. Who was left in the derby? Next up; nondescript OC & DC candidates.
He’s been their main target for weeks.
I guess Kubiak isn’t as smart as I thought he was.
This is not surprising after hearing Brady on that last game.
I thought the same lol….there’s now way they didn’t discuss the position that weekend. Kubiak and Mendoza would be a good start to their rebuild.
braveshomer:
I think Mendoza is vastly overrated, but we will see
What makes you say that? Not arguing with you just genuinely curious.
I think the dude is underrated, and has been his whole football life so far. All he does is continue to put his head down and work, with the end result being personal and team success. Hard to overrate a kid that has that dawg mentality, is hard working, and seems to be extremely humble at the same time.
captainsalty:
I’m not saying he’s overrated based on his determination or his mentality. I’m talking about his actual ability. Quarterback is probably the most difficult position to evaluate in all of professional sports and there’s such a variation from actual performance to what’s expected. But this happens every year. Or at least most years. There’s always a guy who’s the best of the best but it’s just the best of that crop. I think that’s what Fernando Mendoza is. In a great quarterback year, he would not be near the number one pick in the draft. I do think he’s at least partially a product of the talent around him. He’s not great with pressure and that’s going to be a big difference in the NFL. I don’t love him going down field either. I can see a good, but not great NFL quarterback there. He can completely prove me wrong, but that’s what I see.
You called him “vastly overrated” then in the next comment said you “can see a good, but not great NFL quarterback.” These are two very conflicting statements, considering nobody is annointing him the next elite QB.
myaccount2:
Yes, he is vastly overrated. The number one overall pick in the draft should be great not just good. And you say nobody is anointing him the next elite quarterback well go ahead and look at some of the analysis and tell me that’s the case. And again number one overall pick in the draft is supposed to be an elite player.
You’re assigning value to the #1 pick based solely off it being the top pick, which doesn’t always work. No scout or GM believes that every draft is the same year to year. If the Raiders were told Mendoza would become a more athletic Jared Goff, I’m sure they would sign up for that. A QB especially at #1, does not have to have the same talent as any other position going #1. But scouts and GMs are smart enough to know that the best player in a given class may not be as talented as the best player in a different class, and they are not going to fault the prospect for that.
And yes, I’ve looked at a ton of the analysis and I will repeat that this is the case. I do prospect analysis part-time as a side gig (I’m a nobody so I’m not trying to taut myself as an expert, just saying I spend a lot of hours on prospects and researching how prospects are viewed by experts) and I have yet to see any of the meaningful draft experts (Miller, Jeremiah, Sikkema, Rogers, Zuerlein, etc.) refer to him as elite. Everyone is aware of his limitations.
myaccount2:
How silly of me to assign such a value to the number one pick in the draft, you know, the most valuable pick in the draft. Now we all know that quarterbacks are overdrafted more than any other position, but nobody drafts a quarterback number one overall because they think he’ll be good or pretty good. You’re doing that with the thought that he’ll be one of the top quarterbacks in the game. Or at least that’s the hope. And if you don’t think he’s that good you don’t take him. You trade down and get more picks. So the idea that if someone’s being taking number one in the draft as a quarterback that they’re supposed to be anything other than a great quarterback, it’s kind of a silly notion. I think the very idea of drafting him number one in the draft shows how vastly overrated he is. If he’s just expected to be good or pretty good, it’s an absurd overdrafting.
Of course that’s the hope. And unfortunately, no, you don’t trade down just because you think he’ll be very good but not elite. That’s fan thinking. GM thinking is “that’s how I get fired after 2 seasons.” You said if he’s not elite he’s vastly overrated and that’s my sticking point. I promise you no GM or scout thinks that way. They get a guy in the building they believe they can win with and they surround him with talent accordingly. You can’t just force there to be a better prospect. There’s a reason Cam Ward went #1 without being an elite QB prospect. Ditto for Bryce Young, Kyler Murray, etc. They were good enough.
And you’re not getting the point. You don’t assign value to the pick, you assign value to the prospect. If you assign value to the pick, you’re already putting yourself at a disadvantage because you’re searching for a perfect prospect instead of the prospect that makes your franchise better.
Nobody would argue against hoping to get an elite prospect at 1, but my point is every class is different. In this class, it’s clear as day that Mendoza has the ability and potential to be a franchise QB. He has the arm talent, IQ, toughness, short and intermediate accuracy, and statistically strong against pressure despite your belief in the opposite. If those traits allow him to settle in as a borderline top 10 QB, that is absolutely a franchise QB and not bad value at 1, even if he’s not elite. If you go through the last 20 QBs drafted at #1, tell me how many ended up being elite. That number being low doesn’t mean every one of those QBs was “vastly overrated” or a bad pick. Plus, we saw a not elite QB win a Super Bowl just last season. We might see another win one in Darnold this year.
myaccount2:
That’s not fan thinking. No general manager takes a quarterback, number one overall in the draft and says “gosh I hope he’s just fine” or “boy I really hope he’s the 12th best quarterback in the league some day.” Come on, that’s not reality. That kind of thinking will get a general manager fired faster than anything. You can use any word you want. Doesn’t have to be elite. It could be great. But that’s what you’re looking for when you’re drafting a quarterback number one overall in the draft. And you’re wrong when you say you don’t assign value to the pick only the prospect. How could you possibly be an NFL fan and believe that? There are charts devoted to solely to what the picks are worth. Now obviously a team has to be wanting to trade up to a specific pick to get a player in order for a trade to happen, but there are values on these picks. The number one pick in the draft has far higher value than the number 15th pick in the draft regardless of what prospect is there at 15. Now I agree every class is different and as I said quarterbacks always get overdrafted because they are the hope of the franchise. But the hope is never “boy, I hope this guy is pretty good” because that’s not going to elevate a franchise enough. You hit on a quarterback and he’s a top quarterback as an executive you have your career set. Look at Jaxson Dart last season. The Giants didn’t take him number three overall. They liked the prospect a lot, but they were able to take the quarterback they wanted a little bit later because they were assessing his value in the draft. Now there you finally got to the point. You said Mendoza has the ability to be a franchise quarterback. Franchise quarterback is a subjective term but when I think of a franchise quarterback, I don’t think he is that. I think he’s a pretty good pro quarterback and that’s not a franchise quarterback. And the reason so many quarterbacks that get drafted in the top of the draft don’t hit is because quarterback is the absolute most difficult position to forecast with what the players are going to be from college to the pros. And as I said, they get overdrafted with a hope that there’s something special there that might not be there. I kind of think that’s what’s happening here with Mendoza. And yes, non-elite quarterbacks can win Super Bowls. But we’re deviating away from the point right now. You can build a team up around a quarterback who’s OK and the team is so good around him with a great defense. Yes you can win a Super Bowl but that’s never how a general manager is going to try and build a team. Unless he has no quarterback options.
You’re misunderstanding what I’m saying. No GM is hoping for the 12th best QB, they obviously want the best, but they have to accept a QB prospect turning out to not be elite as a potential outcome. Every GM also understands the reality is that not every #1 pick–particularly at QB–is created equally. That’s just variance. So if they think Mendoza can be a quality QB who they can win with, they’re going to select him, build around him, and accept it if he doesn’t end up falling into the top 10% of the possible range of outcomes.
I’m not saying any GM would want Goff over Mahomes, but if Mendoza becomes Goff-like, it’s not a bad pick. So instead of saying #1 has to be elite, think can Mendoza become good enough to be a franchise guy who could take us to the Super Bowl? That’s why I don’t think calling him “vastly overrated” is fair now or if he turns out to be just good. Jamarcus Russell was vastly overrated because he was all traits and very little performance. I don’t see that with Mendoza.
Also, side note but you kind of contradicted yourself re: the charts you’re talking about by stating that the value of the pick is in trade terms. That’s different than a prospect, as you point out yourself. So the guy a team has #1 on its board isn’t automatically assigned the point value on the trade chart. That wouldn’t make any sense, especially knowing draft classes are not created equally. There have been tons of classes where #1 was highly sought after and tons where it wasn’t. That shows that the prospect matters more than the pick slot. Of the 32 guys who end up going in the 1st of this draft class, probably 10 would have gone round 1 in 2023. So whoever you have 1 overall this year, be it Downs, Bain, Reese, etc. is not worth the same amount of points as Williams, Daniels, Maye, etc. Of course those are QBs, but we could also look at players like Bowers to prove this.
myaccount2: what I’m saying is that there’s assigned values to picks. Of course it’s not an exact science and that can go up and down based on the situation. But why would there ever be a point values assigned strictly to picks? Why would there even be a baseline for that? Because the picks have certain values. We can go back-and-forth about Mendoza all day, but we probably will just agree to disagree.
Because there has to be some idea of general value in order to make a trade. There is no value to any pick without a prospect. But again, value fluctuates depending on the perceived value of said prospects. Why else would the Vikings have traded 12 and 46 for 32, 33, and 66 a few years ago? Take a look at how that looks on a trade value chart. 1650 for 1430. That’s a whole 3rd round pick short on equal value.
myaccount2:
There are still grading scales with point systems assigned to the pick regardless of the player there. Obviously it’s subjective in that it depends on what team is there and who they’re looking for. But these scales do exist for a reason. And you say there’s no value to a pick that a prospect, but there’s always a prospect there. It just depends who values that prospect and who might want to trade for that prospect. Hence every pick has a value. Again, we might just see this matter differently and we can’t agree to disagree.
Kubiak could also help Smith before Mendoza finally takes over. However, if the Patriots won … would he want to stay with Seattle?
Smith will be nowhere near Las Vegas next year.
One of our local sports guys said the same thing. No way Brady didn’t find time before or agfter that game to get a little alone wimt with Kuniak. Just a ruomor, yet based on Brady’s history, no one doubted it happened. I can’t belve the NFL sees no potential conflict with him in the network and team roles.
Yeah all that inside information he’s getting by doing games is really helping the Raiders.
Brady failed to get Ben Johnson after gushing over him. Still time for Kubiak to back out. If they win the SB, he would be hottest name for next year.
Raiders over cardinals, 110mil in cap space and the no.1 overall pick
Run!!!!!
Kubiak will fix the Raiders Run Game 100%!!
Raiders want all the Seahawks’ personnel.
They have several on the defensive side to work with
Ashton Jeanty is gonna feast with his running game!
I’m sure Brady has been talking to Kubiak before every Seahawk game he commentated this year, especially the NFC Championship.
I think Kubiak or Evero would be good young hires (with a good amount of experience) to lay a foundation w/Mendoza being the franchise QB the Raiders have been coveting for years, but won one too many meaningless games in late Dec. knocking them out of Top QB Draft Slot.
What? The Raiders have the number one pick in the draft. They also did not win one too many meaningless games in December. They won exactly zero games in December. Or November. They did win a game in January. Besides…it states right in the article that the Raiders will naturally be interested in pairing Kubiak with No. 1 pick Mendoza.
No RaiderFanDUMB, I’m talking about the past 13 plus years when Raiders held on to perrenial loser crappy Carr past his one good year (2016) and kept winning STUPID MEANINGLESS GAMES in Dec. under Sucky Chucky Grudork, Josh McDorky, Over His Head Coach AP etc when those were years to LOSE LIKE PETE CARROLL DID this past 2025-26 year to get a QB in the Top 10 drafts slots.
If I were him, I would wait. Neither the Raiders or Cardinals are very appealing positions. He could get another year as OC in Seattle and get more stable HC opportunities next year.
Stable HC opportunities don’t typically come from good teams, hence the opportunity.
“Klint Kubiak Emerges As Raiders’ HC Favorite”
That poor guy…
Looks like a lot of teams want to distract the Seahawks just before the big game.
It must be retribution for Seattle native Jimi Hendrix putting everyone in a Purple Haze 🙂