Seahawks' Klint Kubiak focused on Super Bowl, not Raiders job
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said his entire focus this week is on beating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and not on a future that is expected to land him a job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said his entire focus this week is on beating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and not on a future that is expected to see him land a job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kubiak had his second interview with the Raiders on Saturday and a person with knowledge of the discussions said the two sides are working toward finalizing an agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no contract was in place and no announcement can be made until after the Super Bowl.
“I’m just focusing on playing this game and coaching this game," Kubiak said Monday night. "Been working my whole life to get to coach in this game, and that’s where our focus is.”
Kubiak declined to answer any questions about the search process, including what it was like to interview with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.
“That’s another part of another process,” he said. “That is just something I’m not really wanting to talk about tonight. We’re all so focused on this game and our players deserve all of our attention for this game.”
Seattle coach Mike Macdonald seemed resigned to losing Kubiak after the Super Bowl, as well as potentially other assistants who could join him in Las Vegas.
“Our coaches, as they get these opportunities to take it to the next level, you’re happy for them,” Macdonald said.” It’s a little bittersweet because (Kubiak is) such a great person and great coach. ... We have a lot of great coaches and those people are going to have opportunities as well."
Kubiak, 38, would be the third coach in three seasons for the Raiders and fifth full-time leader since they moved to Las Vegas in 2020. He would succeed Pete Carroll, who went 3-14 in one season in Las Vegas after a storied run with Seattle that included two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.
Kubiak likely will be counted on to mold Fernando Mendoza, who led Indiana to the national championship, into the franchise quarterback the organization has long sought. The Raiders own the top pick in this year’s draft, and they are expected to use that selection on the Heisman Trophy winner.
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Brady helped run the search with general manager John Spytek. Brady said he was impressed with Kubiak's offense after calling Seattle's last two playoff games in his role as an analyst on Fox.
“They make one thing look like another thing,” Brady said on an episode of “Let's Go” on Sirius XM. "There’s plays off of plays. I think Klint’s done a great job this season developing his own identity as a play-caller. They run the West Coast offense, that’s what Seattle does. They try to make it quarterback-friendly for Sam. Klint has played to the strengths of that team, and I think he’s, you know, last week’s game I thought he did a lot of great things against a very talented Rams defense.”
It was Kubiak’s work with Sam Darnold that got the Raiders’ attention. Darnold, taken third overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL draft, had been considered a bust until leading Minnesota to a 14-win season in 2024. But the Vikings moved on from Darnold, and he proved that season was no fluke, winning 14 games in Seattle en route to making the Super Bowl against New England.
“He’s unbelievable," Darnold said. "He wakes up at insane hours. He gets to the facility at 4–4:30 in the morning, and he’s there later than anyone. He’s a grinder. He loves football. He’s very honest and he’s very forthcoming with his players, which myself and a lot of the guys really appreciate.”
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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