With any head coaching opening in the NFL, there are going to be pros and cons. The Las Vegas Raiders do have some big red flags, but they also own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and have some high-end young talent.
However, some coaches don’t want to bank on what could be and would rather coach a team that’s further along. Early in the search, it seemed like former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski would be one of the favorites for the Raiders’ job.
It now looks like Las Vegas never had a real chance. The Atlanta Falcons announced that they are hiring Stefanski for their head coaching job. The Falcons have gone 8-9 in back-to-back seasons and have a lot of dynamic young talent, but they haven’t had the right coach to get them over the hump.
Stefanski did interview with the Raiders previously, but according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, he decided to take himself out of the running for that job early on.
“Miami, Baltimore and Tennessee all showed very strong interest in Kevin Stefanski, per sources. He also chose to drop out of the Las Vegas search last week,” Russini wrote on X.
Why Would Stefanski Not Want Raiders Job?
John Harbaugh didn’t seem show any interest in the Raiders job, and now Stefanski met with the team and decided not to pursue the job. That has to be a bit concerning for Las Vegas.
It’s clear that some coaches don’t look at it as a very good job opening. From Stefanksi’s perspective, it’s easy to understand why he wouldn’t want to go to the Raiders. He just got fired by a dysfunctional Browns organization, and the Raiders aren’t much more stable.
He doesn’t want to deal with the same types of problems he was dealing with in Cleveland. There are reasons why the Raiders’ job could be appealing, but Stefanski didn’t make much sense considering their situation. It sounds like the Raiders have known for a while that the former Coach of the Year wasn’t interested, so this shouldn’t change their process at all.
Raiders Might Have to Gamble on Young Coach
The Raiders might have a hard time landing one of the more experienced coaching candidates. The team keeps hiring and firing head coaches, so it’s understandable why coaches would be worried about joining them.
It could get to the point that the Raiders might need to consider taking a swing at a less experienced coach. Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb is only 30, but he has shown a lot of promise. It’s highly unlikely another team will hire him, but the Raiders might be in a position to take that kind of gamble.
The team also gave a second interview to Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. He could be a real candidate for the job.
The big fish might be Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. He was in the mix for the Falcons job, but now they’re out of the running. The Raiders could be the best landing spot for him.
Latest Coaching Rumor Is Concerning News for Raiders