Kubiak is in line for his first head-coaching gig at 38 years old


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The Las Vegas Raiders aim to hire Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as coach, NFL Media reports. The deal cannot become official until after Super Bowl LX, when Kubiak and the Seahawks take on the New England Patriots.

Kubiak, 38, directs one of the NFL's top offenses with Sam Darnold at the helm. Prior to his year in Seattle, Kubiak was the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator in 2024, and before that, he worked as the San Francisco 49ers' pass game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan. He also worked under his own father, Gary Kubiak, as well as Kevin Stefanski with the Minnesota Vikings. Several aspects of his father's offense as well as the Shanahan and Stefanski offenses are seen in his offenses. Seattle ranked second this season in under-center rate and seventh in play-action dropback rate. The Seahawks led the NFL in yards per attempt on play action passes, too.

Overall, the Seahawks' offense was eighth in points per game and yards per game, sixth in yards per play and second in net yards per pass attempt. Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (NFL-leading 1,793 receiving yards) both made the Pro Bowl.

With Klint in line to become coach, he and Gary Kubiak will be the 10th father-son head-coaching duo in NFL history, joining ...

o Brian and Marty Schottenheimer
o Kyle and Mike Shanahan
o Brian and Bill Callahan
o Dave and Don Shula
o Rex and Buddy Ryan
o Wade and Bum Phillips
o Mike and Dick Nolan
o Jim Mora Jr. and Jim Mora
o John and Jim Fassel

San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak -- Klint's brother -- also received some head-coaching interest this hiring cycle.

Klint Kubiak, who also interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals, will have his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. The Raiders come off a dismal 3-14 campaign under Pete Carroll, who got fired after one season. On the bright side, the Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and are widely expected to select Heisman Trophy- and national championship-winning Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

The Raiders have several holes to fill, though, and the offensive line will be the biggest question mark. Pro Football Focus graded Las Vegas as the 28th-best pass-blocking unit and the 30th-best run-blocking unit.

There is some young talent, though, led by tight end Brock Bowers and running Ashton Jeanty. Bowers caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards as a rookie in 2024 before an injury-impacted 2024. Jeanty, meanwhile, finished with 1,321 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns even with underwhelming surroundings. He recorded 188 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in Week 16 against the Houston Texans, one of the league's premier defenses.

On defense, one of Kubiak's first tasks will be dealing with the Maxx Crosby situation. Crosby was shelved for the season late due to a knee injury, a decision with which Crosby vehemently disagreed and left him pondering his future. Kubiak could aim to bring some Seattle defensive coaches with him to Las Vegas as he builds his staff.

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