Carolina Sports News

Carolina Sports News

Klint Kubiak Emerges As Raiders’ HC Favorite

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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: