One Last Swing: The Raiders Go All-In on Klint Kubiak

INSIDE THE RAIDERS’ PROBLEMS:

The Raiders’ coaching search feels like it’s reached a turning point — and right now it looks like one of two things is happening: either the Raiders played this perfectly and waited out the chaos to land in the best possible position… or they already missed on their top candidate and what we’re seeing now is Plan B. On the latest Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast, I’m joined by former Raiders wide receiver Ryan Hoag to break down the latest intel, whether it even makes sense for Klint Kubiak to leave Seattle, and what the Raiders should do if he does indeed pass on the job.

CRAZY STAT

The Panthers, Bears, and Patriots have all won division titles after finishing last — or tied for last — in their division the season before. Sounds like a one-off kind of turnaround, right? Not even close. At least one team has gone worst-to-first the following year in 20 of the past 23 seasons. Just more proof that if you land the right coach, things can change fast.

WILL SPYTEK SEAL THE DEAL?

It’s been 25 days since the Raiders fired Pete Carroll, and since then, they’ve taken their time searching for his replacement, interviewing 15 different head coaching candidates. But it feels like this weekend could finally bring the search to an end as the Raiders take their final swing at Klint Kubiak.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said that after interviewing Kubiak up in Seattle on Saturday, the Raiders will decide who will lead the Silver and Black into the future — with one of the candidates who already interviewed for the job telling Fowler, “it’s probably (Kubiak’s) job to lose.” It sure sounds like the Raiders are going all-in on the Seahawks offensive coordinator.

And honestly, that’s not a surprise. Kubiak has made a massive impact on Seattle this season. Before bringing him into the fold, the Seahawks finished 18th in scoring offense and 14th in total yards last year. Then after trading away Geno Smith to the Raiders and pairing Kubiak with Sam Darnold, they finished with the league’s third-best scoring offense and racked up the eighth-most total yards in the regular season.

The big question, though, is whether or not Kubiak will actually leave Seattle. Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports reported recently that the Seahawks were putting on a “full-court press” to keep him, and this week, when he spoke to Q Myers on Unnecessary Roughness, he said he thought it was “probably 60-40 that he takes the Raiders job if it’s offered to him.” Those odds aren’t terrible, but I’m sure it makes at least a few of you in Raider Nation a little uneasy.

I ultimately don’t know what’s going to happen, because there’s a lot that goes into a decision like this. Kubiak knows he’s the hottest candidate on the market, and if he stays in Seattle, he’ll likely be a top choice for any team next year too. He also has a great situation with the Seahawks right now — and they currently have the fourth-most cap space in the league, so they’re positioned to keep key pending free agents and add plenty more talent to the offense.

But there’s one key connection that Black Hole Son (@rmcgough81) pointed out to me on X (Twitter) recently that I completely forgot about — and it makes me think John Spytek believes his chances of landing Kubiak are much higher than 60-40.

Back when Spytek was a national scout with the Broncos in 2015, the team fired John Fox and hired Gary Kubiak to take his place. And as it turns out, Spytek played a big role in helping Gary transition into the job.

“What I remember about Spy is he was one of the people that (was) giving me a grasp on the team, what I had, what they thought our strengths were, what we had to do to continue to move forward and have a chance to win a championship,” Kubiak said in a phone interview with The Athletic. “He helped get me comfortable with the team so that I could get in there and work with my coaches and start to break down our needs and get ready for the draft. He was a big, big asset to me.”

Gary then went on to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 win that season. You’ve got to imagine those two have been in contact in some way, shape, or form throughout this process — and it’s not much of a stretch to suggest Spytek has some pretty strong intel not only on Klint, but where he and the Raiders actually stand in terms of interest.

I went on record earlier this week saying I thought Davis Webb would ultimately end up getting the job, but reports out there say he’s now withdrawing his name from consideration for the opening, so it really is Kubiak or bust for the Raiders now. So as they make one last push for Klint, it’s probably a good thing Spytek will be the one sitting across from him, trying to sell him on what the Raiders have to offer.

HOW WOULD KUBIAK FILL OUT HIS STAFF IN VEGAS?

The Raiders still have to actually land Klint Kubiak, so I’m not trying to put the cart before the horse here — but if he does take the job, the next big question becomes: how would he fill out his staff in Vegas? Kubiak is an offensive-minded coach, so you’d presumably have the pairing of him and Fernando Mendoza in place, but what about the defensive side of the ball? In a division loaded with quarterback firepower, that would likely be the next most important move after the head coach hire. That’s the exact question I tackle in the video above, and I also offer up one intriguing name from Seattle’s stacked staff to keep an eye on.

INTERESTING READ

Last week, we dove into the schematic changes that shaped the 2025 season. This week, we’ve got another great one in the “Required Reading” section — an article from Ted Nguyen of The Athletic on a major defensive trend around the league: the rise of the premium nickel. Ted breaks down how the responsibilities and demands placed on nickel defenders have evolved in recent years, and how the NFL’s best defenses are now using these game-changing utility players to slow down modern offenses.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

MENDOZA READY TO WEATHER THE STORM?

There’s been a lot of coaching search talk in today’s newsletter — and to be fair, it’s the talk of the town for the Raiders right now — but we can’t forget about Fernando Mendoza. This week, former NFL quarterback and QB Summit founder Jordan Palmer hopped on the Jim Rome Show and broke down why he believes Mendoza is as ready as anyone he’s seen to handle everything that comes with being the No. 1 overall pick — especially in Las Vegas, and playing for an organization like the Raiders.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.

This week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged of Ashton Jeanty in his Michael Myers stance against the Bears. I went with a Jeanty photo because all this talk about the Raiders’ pursuit of Klint Kubiak has me thinking about what his running game could look like in Vegas. Up in Seattle, Kubiak’s Seahawks were tied for the fourth-most rushing attempts in the league, which helped his offense finish tied for 10th in rushing yards per game this season. Kubiak could do a lot of good for the Raiders offense, but if he does end up becoming the next head coach, Ashton might be one of — if not thebiggest — beneficiaries of his arrival.

Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We’ll be keeping a close eye on everything surrounding the Raiders’ coaching search. With the team meeting with Klint Kubiak up in Seattle on Saturday, we could get some real answers soon. So keep an eye out for a live reaction show as soon as the Raiders make their decision and hire their next head coach.

If no decision comes this weekend, we’ll see you for our regularly scheduled show on Tuesday morning.

Catch ya next time,