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Klay Kubiak Withdraws From HC Searches

By | at January 24, 2026 3:35 pm

Although he has been a candidate in multiple head coaching searches this month, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has removed himself from consideration, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Kubiak will remain in San Francisco in 2026.

The 37-year-old Kubiak drew attention from the Steelers and Raiders in this winter’s hiring cycle. The news of Kubiak’s withdrawal came shortly before the Steelers agreed to hire Mike McCarthy as their head coach. Meanwhile, the Raiders haven’t found Pete Carroll’s replacement yet, but we know it won’t be Kubiak.

There’s still a possibility Klay’s brother, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, will land the Las Vegas job. Both Kubiaks have interviewed for the position. The Bills, Browns and Cardinals are the only other teams with vacancies.

A former Colorado State quarterback, Klay Kubiak has garnered all of his NFL coaching experience with the 49ers. He joined the organization as a defensive quality control coach in 2021. Kubiak spent the next two years as the 49ers’ assistant quarterbacks coach before working as their offensive passing game specialist in 2024.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan promoted Kubiak to offensive coordinator in 2025, a year in which the 49ers overcame a rash of key injuries to finish seventh in yards and 10th in scoring. Backup quarterback Mac Jones started in place of an injured Brock Purdy eight times, tight end George Kittle missed six games, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall sat out eight, and fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk didn’t play at all.

Shanahan continued as the 49ers’ primary play-caller during their injury-ravaged 2025. Nevertheless, Kubiak is important enough to the coaching staff that Shanahan would block other teams from hiring him as an offensive coordinator.

“He’s our offensive coordinator, so I don’t know, why would you let him be somebody else’s offensive coordinator,” Shanahan said last week.

For his part, Kubiak prefers to continue working with Shanahan, according to Russini. Shanahan has been the 49ers’ head coach since 2017, but he has only given the OC title to Kubiak and Mike McDaniel. While McDaniel held the role for just one season before he left to become the Dolphins’ head coach in 2022, Kubiak is now poised for a multiyear stint. With another productive season in 2026, Kubiak may reemerge as a name to watch during next winter’s hiring cycle.

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Raiders Interview Brian Daboll For HC

By | at January 24, 2026 1:46 pm

The number of open head coaching positions and top coaching candidates are both starting to dwindle as six of the 10 open positions this offseason have been filled. Having seen two of the three candidates they invited for second interviews land jobs elsewhere, the Raiders continue to expand their board. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Giants head coach Brian Daboll interviewed for the open job in Las Vegas today.

Since his midseason dismissal from New York, Daboll has remained a name to watch for head coaching jobs in this cycle. He was one of 18 coaches interviewed for the top job in Tennessee, and just recently interviewed for the Bills‘ open job. With his latest interest from the Raiders, Daboll only has two options available, but if Vegas thinks they’re ready to hire Daboll, they may want to move fast to make it happen, considering the 50-year-old made it known that Buffalo was his preferred destination. His four years as offensive coordinator with the Bills was what got him a head coaching opportunity in the first place, after all.

Daboll hasn’t just been getting head coaching interest coming out of his first tenure in a lead position. With some programs remembering the work he did as OC in Buffalo before he landed in New York, he’s garnered some offensive coordinator interest, as well. Daboll was set to interview for the open job with the Chargers before it became known that the team was expected to hire former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to the role, and he did interview this past week for the OC role in Philadelphia. McDaniel’s continued availability for other positions may mean that job isn’t quite closed to Daboll, though.

Daboll was also mentioned as a candidate for the Titans’ OC job, but he has yet to interview for it. Similar to what he said with a head coaching opportunity in Buffalo, Daboll made it known that the OC opportunity in Nashville would be his preferred destination, if he’s unable to land a head coaching gig.

As for Vegas, former Chargers DC Jesse Minter landed with Baltimore as head coach after two rounds of interviews with the Raiders, and former Packers’ DC Jeff Hafley came off the board before he could make it out to his scheduled second interview in Vegas, landing the job in Miami. The only candidate who has completed two interviews with the Raiders who is still available is another defensive coordinator in Carolina’s Ejiro Evero. After other candidates either landed elsewhere or withdrew from consideration for the position, Las Vegas has nine candidates, other than Daboll, with whom they’ve conducted a preliminary interview.

Here’s how the Raiders’ coaching search is shaping up at this latest point of the process:

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Raiders Rumors: Brady, Spytek, Whitmer

By | at January 22, 2026 9:37 pm

John Spytek was hired before Pete Carroll, who has since been fired. This year’s Raiders HC search — their fourth in the past five offseasons — will be the GM’s first with true involvement. Spytek was not involved in the Carroll hire last year, ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler and Ryan McFadden indicate in an expansive look at the Raiders’ present state of affairs.

The team hired Spytek two days before hiring Carroll last year. This is not uncommon for teams seeking to fill HC and GM positions in one offseason. Ryan Poles technically arrived before Matt Eberflus in 2022, but he was not a key player in that search. Spytek, though, is the point man for the Raiders in-house, as he is running things locally while Tom Brady — who has been involved from afar since being approved as a minority owner in fall 2024 — made “five or six” appearances at the team facility in 2025, Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller estimated.

[RELATED: Raiders Made Push For Jesse Minter]

Brady did play the lead role in the Raiders firing Tom Telesco and hiring Spytek, his former college teammate who later ended up in the Buccaneers’ front office during the QB legend’s Tampa stopover. Brady later led the Raiders’ pursuit of Ben Johnson and then played the central role in a failed Matthew Stafford recruitment. The 47-year-old QB retiree-turned-FOX analyst was believed to be against a Sam Darnold free agent signing, and he was a key figure in the trade for Geno Smith, per an agent of a Raiders player (via Kahler and McFadden). That certainly appeased Carroll, but the Carroll-Smith reunion backfired quickly.

Brady will continue to carry plenty of say with the Raiders, who are believed to be pursuing an offense-oriented HC to pair with expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. But Spytek will be the one running things from inside, as Brady will continue with his FOX role for a third season in 2026.

“My preparation is very much centered around what I have to do in broadcasting,” Brady said of his Raiders role, via The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. “I love, obviously, having a chance to be involved with the Raiders. To be a former player and have a minority ownership is like a dream come true.

“I couldn’t afford to pay to be a general partner. I did very well in my career. It’s awesome to kind of help shape and strategize and be a visionary for a team. I love being involved in football.”

The Raiders will be expected to move on from Smith, who appears destined to follow Jimmy Garoppolo and Gardner Minshew as Vegas QB acquisitions to last one season. Although Smith signed a two-year, $75MM extension, it will cost the Raiders just $18.5MM in dead money to drop him. That amount would be lessened in the post-June 1 scenario.

Mendoza is the latest QB to rocket to the top sector of the draft with a dominant college season. The Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick, shelving Brock Bowers and, more controversially, Maxx Crosby (who has since undergone knee surgery for an injury he believed he could play through), for the season’s final two games. One of Mendoza’s Indiana coaches, co-OC/QBs coach Chandler Whitmer is a name to monitor regarding a Raiders role, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore tweets.

Whitmer, 34, was on all three Brandon Staley Chargers staffs before landing with the Falcons in 2024. He joined the Hoosiers last year, and his role in Mendoza’s Heisman-winning season and the team’s 16-0 national championship season certainly brought a stock boost.

The Raiders, though, still have a head coach to hire before turning their attention to assistants. Brady heavily influenced Chip Kelly‘s move from the college ranks back to the NFL; that would make another college-to-NFL hire draw some scrutiny. The Raiders gave their one-and-done OC a $6MM-per-year deal only to fire him in-season. Kelly is now Northwestern’s OC.

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Jesse Minter Cancels Browns HC Interview

By | at January 22, 2026 12:06 pm

Jesse Minter was scheduled to interview with the Browns for a second time today. Instead, that will no longer be the case.

Minter has canceled his follow-up, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. This news comes as the Chargers defensive coordinator “likely” feels other HC options are more certain at this time, she adds. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Minter’s second interview with the Ravens yesterday went “very well.”

The Raiders are also in the running at this point, Schultz confirms. Minter met with Vegas for a second time on Tuesday. That makes him one of only two finalists still on the market as things stand in the Raiders’ case. Today’s Browns update certainly points in the direction of Minter winding up with either the Ravens or the Raiders relatively soon.

Minter is now the second candidate to withdraw from Cleveland’s ongoing search. Mike McDaniel recently did the same, and he is now positioned to become the Chargers’ next offensive coordinator. The Browns will once again turn their attention elsewhere with Minter no longer in the running as well. Internal and external finalists remain in contention.

The possibility of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz being promoted to head coach has long been a talking point during the 2026 hiring cycle. Keeping Schwartz within the organization in one capacity or another is seen as a high priority, and he was recently reported to be the favorite for the HC gig. Todd Monken has interviewed twice with the Browns, meaning he is a candidate to return to Cleveland instead of his expected move of following John Harbaugh to the Giants as their offensive coordinator.

The Browns are also among the teams which have shown considerable interest in Jaguars OC Grant Udinski. The sides will meet for a second interview tomorrow. Meanwhile, Cleveland has also requested a follow-up with Rams pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. One cannot be arranged until next week, since Los Angeles advanced to the NFC championship game.

Minter was among the finalists for the Falcons before they ultimately hired Kevin Stefanski. A two-year coordinator at the NFL level, Minter has loomed as one of the top defensive HC candidates in particular throughout the hiring cycle. The 42-year-old has previously worked with the Ravens, and his time in the AFC West has made him a familiar face to the Raiders. Signs point to Minter joining one of those teams as the coaching landscape comes further into focus.

34 comments Baltimore Ravens Cleveland Browns Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers

Raiders Aiming For Offense-Minded HC To Pair With Fernando Mendoza?

By | at January 21, 2026 10:10 pm

Firing defense-minded head coaches in back-to-back years, the Raiders would presumably be more interested in going in another direction during this year’s cycle. Teams regularly take this route after a hire does not work out, and it indeed looks like Las Vegas wants to go offense with its 2026 HC appointment.

The Raiders want to pair an offense-oriented coach with likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes. The team may also be willing to wait on this weekend’s conference championship games or perhaps through Super Bowl LX.

Klint Kubiak and Davis Webb both interviewed for the Raiders’ HC position, doing so virtually. The Broncos and Seahawks’ bye weeks allowed for their assistants to discuss jobs early, and Schultz adds both look to have made good impressions. Each remains in the running, and while Jesse Minter appears to be a live candidate as well, he may be fighting an uphill battle due to where the Raiders are aiming.

The team canned Antonio Pierce a year after removing his interim tag. After an aggressive Ben Johnson pursuit fell short, the Raiders veered about as far in the opposite direction as possible by hiring Pete Carroll, who became the oldest HC in NFL history this season. Carroll finished 3-14, edging a disinterested Chiefs team in Week 18 to avoid a two-win campaign. The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick as a result of Carroll’s performance, giving his replacement a silver lining as the organization retools yet again.

Mendoza holds the honor of spearheading one of the great stories in modern college football history, with non-traditional power Indiana emerging to go 16-0 and win the national championship on the back of its Heisman-winning quarterback. He is expected to be the Raiders’ No. 1 pick, as the franchise has taken a few unsuccessful swings at QB since releasing Derek Carr in 2023. To avoid having Mendoza lose his play-caller — granted, this has not been an issue for the Raiders in a long time — to another HC job, the Silver and Black could pair him with an offense-geared leader from the start.

It would seem a bit early on Webb, but the Broncos’ QBs coach is impressing in interviews. The 30-year-old assistant has garnered interest for second interviews, and this report certainly points to the Raiders being interested in a follow-up meeting. Should Denver pull an upset and edge New England without Bo Nix, Webb’s stock could skyrocket ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Raiders cannot interview him again until the Broncos are eliminated.

The same rules are in place with Kubiak, the first year Seahawks OC. Kubiak has yet to run the same team’s offense in consecutive seasons, but he certainly would be asked back in Seattle if not hired by a team this year. While Sam Darnold finished just 19th in QBR, the Seahawks went 14-3 and saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the NFL in receiving. Kubiak, 39 next month, would give the Raiders access to a Shanahan-style attack, as the second-generation coach was on the 49ers’ staff previously and grew up observing his father (Gary) and Mike Shanahan‘s similar offensive approaches.

Webb remains in the running for the Ravens’ HC job, while the Bills have him on their radar as well. Kubiak interviewed with the Cardinals and Ravens while also emerging early as a potential Bills candidate. Joe Brady, Nate Scheelhaase, Mike LaFleur and Klint’s brother Klay — the 49ers’ OC — are the other offensive candidates to interview for the Vegas job.

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NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/21/26

By | at January 21, 2026 6:07 pm

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons

  • TE Joshua Simon

Chicago Bears

  • TE Qadir Ismail

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

  • S Nate Valcarcel

Miami Dolphins

  • LB Seth Coleman

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

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Chargers Expected To Hire Mike McDaniel As Offensive Coordinator

By | at January 20, 2026 11:12 pm

The Chargers are close to naming Mike McDaniel their next offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN report. McDaniel, who’s having dinner with team brass on Tuesday, is expected to take the job.

While McDaniel dropped out of the running to become the Browns’ head coach on Tuesday, he remains a candidate for the openings in Las Vegas and Baltimore, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. If he doesn’t land with the Raiders or Ravens, though, McDaniel is primed to sign a deal to join Jim Harbaugh‘s staff in Los Angeles. The Chargers have informed other candidates they’re planning to hire McDaniel, Dianna Russini of The Athletic relays.

After McDaniel’s four-year run as the Dolphins’ head coach ended on Jan. 8, the Lions, Eagles and Buccaneers joined the Chargers in showing interest in him for their offensive coordinator positions.

The Lions have since hired Drew Petzing, though the Eagles and Buccaneers each regarded McDaniel as their top target, per Darlington. However, McDaniel’s desire to return to California will win out. He previously worked there from 2017-21 as an assistant on Kyle Shanahan‘s staff in San Francisco.

McDaniel’s success with the 49ers led the Dolphins to hire him as their head coach, and the move paid dividends initially. The Dolphins combined for a 20-14 record and earned playoff berths in McDaniel’s first two seasons. Their offense impressed in finishing sixth in yards and 11th in scoring in 2022, but the unit found another gear in 2023.

During an 11-win campaign, the Dolphins scored the most points and racked up the second-most yards in the NFL. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passing en route to a Pro Bowl nod, while Tyreek Hill ended the year tops in receiving yards.

Unfortunately for McDaniel, the 2023 campaign proved to be his peak in Miami. After the Dolphins combined for a 15-19 mark over the past two seasons, owner Stephen Ross fired him. A significant Tagovailoa decline helped lead to McDaniel’s ouster. The left-hander played so poorly in 2025 that McDaniel benched him for seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers ahead of Week 16. Tagovailoa sat out each of Miami’s final three games. The Dolphins’ offense wrapped up the year 25th in points and 26th in yards.

As the fifth overall pick in 2020, Tagovailoa entered the league one selection before Chargers QB Justin Herbert. The 27-year-old put together his second Pro Bowl season in 2025 to help the Chargers to 11 wins and a playoff berth. However, after an ugly 16-3 loss to the Patriots in the wild-card round, Harbaugh fired offensive coordinator and longtime friend Greg Roman.

In Roman’s second and last year running their offense, the Chargers racked up the 12th-most yards in the league, but they struggled to put points on the board. LA was just 20th in scoring, though it hurt Roman’s cause that the team’s starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, didn’t play together all year.

Slater sat out the entire season with a torn patellar tendon, while an ankle injury ended Alt’s campaign after just six games. The Chargers were also shorthanded at running back, where offseason free agent pickup Najee Harris tore his Achilles in Week 3 and first-round rookie Omarion Hampton fractured his ankle and wound up missing eight games.

Although this season didn’t go according to plan for the Chargers, they’re now on the verge of reeling in one of the game’s most respected offensive minds. The 42-year-old McDaniel is slated to work with an enviable group of talent that will include Herbert, Slater, Alt, Hampton, wide receivers Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Tre Harris, and tight end Oronde Gadsden II. While it doesn’t appear McDaniel will receive his second head coaching job this winter, that could change a year from now if he revives the Chargers’ offense in 2026.

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2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at January 20, 2026 9:00 am

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 1-24-26 (3:29pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens 

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Bears): Rehired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Jesse Minter)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Anthony Weaver)

  • Clint Hurtt, defensive line coach (Eagles): Interviewed

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

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Raiders To Conduct Second HC Interviews With Jesse Minter, Jeff Hafley

By | at January 19, 2026 11:36 am

The coming days will be critical in shaping the Raiders‘ head coaching search. The list of candidates to line up a second interview with the team has grown.

Mike McDaniel is set to conduct an in-person interview with Vegas today. The same will be true tomorrow for Ejiro Evero. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, both Jesse Minter and Jeff Hafley have arranged a Raiders follow-up. Minter’s interview will take place tomorrow, while Hafley’s is set for Wednesday.

Throughout the hiring cycle, both defensive coordinators have loomed as strong HC candidates. Minter has been with the Chargers for the past two years, while Hafley has led the Packers’ defense for the same duration. Their respective stocks have risen over that span.

Minter had experience as a defensive coordinator at three different college programs before he followed Jim Harbaugh from Michigan to Los Angeles. His success at the NFL level produced an interview request from each of the first nine teams around the NFL to have a HC opening. Minter, 42, is set to line up a second interview with the Browns and further interest could be coming soon.

Prior to his Packers stint, Hafley spent four years as the head coach at Boston College. He has worked as a position coach and D-coordinator at both the college and NFL levels, so taking charge of a team in the pros would represent a logical next step. The 46-year-old led Green Bay to a strong finish in total and scoring defense in 2024, and his unit enjoyed a productive start to the 2025 campaign before it was hit hard by injuries. In recent days, Hafley has been mentioned as a potential frontrunner for the Dolphins’ vacancy.

Questions have been raised about how attractive the Raiders’ opening is compared to others around the league. Indeed, it was learned over the weekend that Kevin Stefanski withdrew from Vegas’ search not long after conducting an initial interview with the team. Buffalo’s decision to fire Sean McDermott means there are eight vacancies at the moment. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders manage to land one of the top candidates still on the market.

Via PFR’s HC Search Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand for Vegas:

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Kevin Stefanski Withdrew From Raiders’ HC Search

By | at January 18, 2026 11:15 pm

To no surprise, Kevin Stefanski became the second head coaching domino to fall last night. As many expected, he would up joining the Falcons.

That decision came amidst considerable interest from other HC-needy teams around the league. Both the Ravens and Dolphins submitted requests for an in-person second interview in Stefanski’s case. Those wound up being moot, with a face-to-face Falcons meeting producing Saturday’s agreement.

Stefanski also found himself on the radar of the Raiders early in the hiring cycle. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, however, the two-time Coach of the Year withdrew from Vegas’ search process last week. That allowed him to turn his attention elsewhere, with Falcons connections emerging in short order.

The Giants’ top priority was landing John Harbaugh, and after initially agreeing to a hire his arrival was made official yesterday. Stefanski was viewed as the backup plan for both New York and Atlanta, so it came as no surprise when links to the Falcons were strengthened once it became clear Harbaugh would join the Giants. Stefanski secured a five-year deal in Atlanta not long after his run with the Browns came to an end.

The Raiders are one of seven teams which still have an opening at the head coaching position as things stand. The Pete Carroll era ended on ‘Black Monday,’ with his firing coming in the wake of a 3-14 campaign. Vegas owns the first overall pick in April’s draft, but otherwise the Raiders’ roster faces a number of questions. It will be interesting to see what the team’s list of finalists looks like as it takes shape over the coming days.

Several initial interviews took place last week, but so far the only candidate to arrange a follow-up meeting is Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Others will soon join him, but even in the absence of his Falcons hire Stefanski would not have been among the staffers to speak with Vegas for a second time.

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