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The Raiders Got It Right With Klint Kubiak
May 20, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak speaks during a news conference during organized team activities at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders will enter the 2026 season with plenty of excitement about what's to come.

Ownership and executives within the organization finally realized the team needs to start over and rebuild, so they started over. Sometimes, you have to go backward to go forward.

One of the biggest and most important moves the team made this offseason was hiring Klint Kubiak to be the franchise's next head coach. The Raiders have made poor decisions since moving on from Rich Bisaccia, but they got it right with this one.

Past Mistakes

Hiring Josh McDaniels in 2022 was a failure. Antonio Pierce did a great job as the interim coach, but he couldn't handle the full-time responsibilities. Pete Carroll was past his prime as a head coach and was not the person to kick off a rebuild with.

Kubiak, however, is the perfect dart throw. For a team with young, intriguing offensive players, a 39-year-old first-time head coach with a brilliant offensive mind makes the most sense to lead this group.

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

He was a major catalyst for Seattle's Super Bowl-winning team, helping Sam Darnold continue his career resurgence en route to a Super Bowl MVP.

Handling QB

With Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins, who could be somewhat of a reclamation project, on the roster, Kubiak has his choice of two quality quarterbacks. Cousins will most likely start the season, but they hope Mendoza and Kubiak are a championship-winning duo for the future.

Kubiak is a calming presence. While many expected Carroll to be that in the sense that he was an adult in the room, which the Raiders desperately needed, but the roster was too bad and expectations of a quick turnaround were unfounded.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kubiak, while young and unproven, has the chance to set the floor for this team because of his steady hand, calm approach, and the support system around him that will help him be successful.

The Raiders have a coach who will prioritize trench play and dominating at the line of scrimmage, which will lead to a career season from Ashton Jeanty. Having a strong ground game opens everything else up offensively, and Kubiak can use his offensive mind from there.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Las Vegas needs an identity as a football team, and that is what Kubiak will provide. They'll be fundamentally sound, tough, and efficient on the offensive side of the football.

The Raiders stayed patient and hired Kubiak well after most of the other jobs were filled, and they made the right call. They should soon reap the benefits.


This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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