The Las Vegas Raiders are currently one of the few NFL teams without a head coach, but it’s clear that the team has a specific candidate in mind. Raider Nation will need to continue exercising patience during this process.
Who is the candidate, and is there a backup plan in place?
Tom Brady got a close look at Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak last weekend from the broadcast booth. Now the Raiders are expected to get a closer look in person.
Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post reported Kubiak is scheduled for a second interview Saturday for Las Vegas’ head coaching vacancy. The timing matters. A second interview is not about play diagrams. It is about building an operating system: staffing, delegation, practice structure, quarterback development, game management and accountability. Those are the pressure points that have repeatedly broken the Raiders’ cycles.
What’s the holdup with Klint Kubiak?
There is also a procedural reality. Because Kubiak is coaching deep into the postseason, Las Vegas would be unable to hire him until after Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara. The Cardinals, who also interviewed Kubiak, are in the same holding pattern. The carousel is narrowing, and the Raiders are competing in a smaller market of options while other candidates take jobs elsewhere.
That is why Kubiak’s candidacy should be evaluated with discipline. Seattle’s offense has been productive and balanced, and Kubiak has earned a reputation for sequencing plays to keep quarterbacks on schedule. If the Raiders are drafting a quarterback at No. 1, widely projected to be Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, the appeal is obvious. A young passer needs coherence: a run game that stays on time, pass concepts that define answers, and weekly repetition that does not reset every season.
However, a clever playbook doesn’t simply solve the Raiders’ issues. The offensive line, which Pro Football Focus ranked as the worst in the league, presents a significant risk to the team’s success. A coach can design plays to cope with pressure, at least for a while. But a team can’t survive on that alone. Should Kubiak be the choice, the initial requirement is a substantial commitment. This encompasses resources for staff, player development, and a clear team identity that can withstand both injuries and challenging opponents.
Otherwise, the team is essentially asking a novice quarterback to perform flawlessly while shielded by a shaky offensive line. This approach transforms the process of learning the game into a battle for mere survival.
Related: The Raiders could get Maxx Crosby some help soon
The second non-negotiable is staff architecture. Kubiak’s age and coordinator success can be assets, but the head coaching job is not a promotion in play-calling. It is a leadership role with dozens of failure modes, including thin defensive oversight, unclear authority lines, and a weekly process that collapses when adversity hits. Las Vegas has lived the consequences of that.
What about Davis Webb and the Raiders?
Davis Webb remains the other name in the mix, with interest driven by quarterback mentorship and relationship building. The upside is clear if the Raiders want a teacher for Mendoza. The risk is equally clear. Webb has not built a full program or carried play-calling responsibility across an NFL season. That is not disqualifying, but it is an operational bet that requires strong coordinators and defined decision rights.
If the search pivots to Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, it signals a different thesis: leadership and defense first, offense delegated. That can work, but it places even more importance on hiring the right offensive coordinator and protecting the quarterback from annual change.
The Raiders don’t require a flashy introduction. They require a system built to endure, one that can withstand setbacks and shield Mendoza from the team’s most persistent flaw: the constant cycle of rebuilding. The Saturday interview’s worth hinges on a single query: not the specifics of the scheme itself, but the overarching plan for its execution.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images