Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak confirmed he will be the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach during an on-field interview Sunday night following Seattle's 29-13 victory over New England in the Super Bowl.
“You guys know I'm going to Las Vegas,” Kubiak told NFL Network. “I'm fired up about it. Hell yeah, I'm going. Of course, I'm going.”
Kubiak and the Raiders began working toward finalizing an agreement a week ago for him to take the job, a person with knowledge of the discussions said at the time.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no contract was in place and no announcement could be made until after the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California.
Just after the Super Bowl, as it turned out.
The 38-year-old Kubiak will be the third coach in three seasons for the Raiders and fifth full-time leader since they moved to Las Vegas in 2020. He succeeds 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.
The front office has more than $91 million in salary cap space to surround Mendoza with talent, the second-highest amount in the league, according to overthecap.com.
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 the regular season with Seattle and three more in the playoffs to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Kubiak’s father, Gary, coached Denver to the Super Bowl title in the 2015 seasons, and he played quarterback for the Broncos from 1983-91. Gary and Klint Kubiak will be the 10th father-son pair to serve as NFL head coaches, including interim coaches.
Kubiak also has two brothers who are on staffs of other NFL teams — Klay with San Francisco and Klein with Dallas. Klay Kubiak, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator, also interviewed with the Raiders.
The Raiders have been searching for a path back to their glory days. Three Lombardi Trophies sit in the team’s facility, but the Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since their last Super Bowl appearance in the 2002 season. They have made the postseason just twice since then, most recently in the 2021 season.
Owner Mark Davis, frustrated at the lack of success, put the search in the hands of minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
cube_corner said:
T.K. Patton said:
Good article! Thank you.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.