The Las Vegas Raiders have been conducting their interviews to fill their head coach position after firing Pete Carroll following a 3-14 2025 NFL season. Moreover, the Silver and Black have gone through multiple candidates to find the right one.
Nonetheless, during his Jan. 13 appearance on CBS Sports HQ, NFL writer Tyler Sullivan noted the perfect candidate for Las Vegas, since the Raiders will likely have a young QB in Fernando Mendoza who needs help developing at the pro level.
“[The Raiders] certainly want some stability because I think they’re paying like every head coach now,” Sullivan said. “It feels like in a prior contract, it just hasn’t worked out for them. So, it’s been an expensive endeavor, which is kind of why I don’t think they’re going to get one of those guys looking for a second [head coaching] gig, because it’s probably going to command a little bit more money.
“I think a guy like Klint Kubiak is someone who I find would be really interesting because, as much as we’re joking about the Raiders right now, I think that this is a really interesting job for somebody just like him who has an offensive mind, and this is somewhat close to a blank slate.”
Raiders Have Building Blocks for Head Coach
Las Vegas are a three-win team and finished at the bottom of the standings. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t building blocks for a potential head coach to build on. Furthermore, with the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they can potentially have a young QB in the mix, too.
“They have the No. 1 overall pick that potentially could be Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza,” Sullivan added. “It’s still obviously early in the process, but you’re probably going to take a quarterback number one overall, probably going to be Mendoza.
“You bring in a young quarterback like that with already some interesting skill position players like Ashton Jeanty, who they spent the first-round pick on, [and] Brock Bowers at the tight end spot. That’s a very interesting nucleus that you already have to start building up your offense along with your cap space.”
Klint Kubiak Brings an Impressive Resume
While Kubiak looks to become a first-time head coach in the NFL and doesn’t have the cache as a John Harbaugh or Kevin Stefanski, he does have quite an impressive resume. Moreover, Kubiak has the Seattle Seahawks offense clicking, which led to a 14-win season, and they are the favorite to come out of the NFC.
“I look at Klint Kubiak over the last couple of years; he had the New Orleans Saints punching above their weight as the offensive coordinator there in 2024,” Sullivan said. “This season, he has the Seattle Seahawks really firing on all cylinders, continuing the ascension of Sam Darnold at quarterback, with Jaxon Smith‑Njigba breaking franchise records.
“So I think that that would really be kind of that perfect blend: you bring in a young quarterback, you pair him with a young offensive mind, and that’s how you start your rebuild.”
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