Everybody knows what Klint Kubiak can do as an offensive coordinator. For those of you who missed it, he sliced up defenses throughout the 2025 NFL season en route to a Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks, and everyone involved is hoping he brings that mojo to the Las Vegas Raiders.
But being a great head coach in this league is about much more than Xs and Os. Being an elite schemer, like Kubiak, is certainly a variable, but it is not the entire equation. So as much as Raider Nation expects an improved and new-look offense, the rest remains somewhat of a mystery.
Now, fans have their hopes up. They've heard a lot about Kubiak's approach this offseason, and the staff seems to be clicking in the early going. But Kirk Cousins, and even assistant head coach Mike McCoy and Aidan O'Connell, gave testimonies as to how the Kubiak experiment is going thus far.
It sounds like he's the coach that the Silver and Black have desperately been missing.
Kirk Cousins describing Klint Kubiak sounds like the HC the Las Vegas Raiders have been missing
Jon Gruden was a fiery leader who constantly hovered between being a loose cannon and a rah-rah guy. Antonio Pierce was well-intentioned and cared a lot, but didn't have the know-how. Pete Carroll was stubborn in pretty much every way and lacked a long-term plan.
Kubiak, though, sounds like he knows what he's doing. And even though he's never been a head coach before, so he doesn't have those skins on the wall, he has the right process. Cousins spoke about Kubiak, the head coach, versus Kubiak, the coordinator, after Tuesday's mandatory minicamp.
"Football matters to him. There's an intensity there. There's an attention to detail. There's an urgency, probably the best word, that I've sensed from him as a head coach, that I think is really good for our football team," Cousins explained. "But it does cause me, when I'm driving into work in the morning, I'm kind of like, 'I feel it.' I'm like, 'I better be on today.' Like, I check my watch four times to make sure I'm on time or early because I just feel like he brings that sense of urgency that the great coaches tend to bring, right? And it's certainly not a laid-back atmosphere, I'll just say that. And I think that's a positive."
Cousins' assessment of Kubiak may as well be gold for Raiders fans. This fanbase has longed for, and deserved for some time, a leader who coaches hard. For far too many years, Las Vegas has been led by a player's coach, and the results from those eras speak entirely for themselves.
The veteran quarterback elaborated further.
"I think that comes, too, with being a head coach. You feel that weight as a head coach, and it's not an easy position to sit in. It can be lonely at the top. And I think he also then, as the head coach, has to make sure that we're running a tight ship and that we're a great operation. And I think we all feel that urgency. I mean, pre-practice in the locker room, people feel that. And I think that can be a healthy thing, right? It can bring out the best in us. But the last two months, it's not a picnic. We're not out here just kind of having fun. Like, it's work. And you feel that in the locker room pre-practice, the way guys' mindset is, and guys are really focused or going over their stuff two or three times because they don't want to be the guy who made the mental error. So, I think that's a really positive thing, but it's not a country club."
Las Vegas' offseason program has been filled with good vibes over the years. But good vibes don't win games. The head coach wrestling with a player or bringing a big inflatable ball can be endearing, but it looks silly when the team loses double-digit games in a row.
Clearly, the Raiders' new head coach is as serious as they come. And that change of pace should serve the Silver and Black well. But some of you may ask, "Doesn't that kind of environment cause players to tense up and not play their best?" As Fernando Mendoza told reporters on Tuesday, no.
This coaching staff knows that football is an imperfect game. Mistakes are a big part of it. But they don't want repeat offenders. They want players to learn from their mistakes. And if they can't, maybe they don't need to be such a key cog in a billion-dollar industry. That seems to be the thinking.
Of course, players aren't going to badmouth their new head coach to the media. But the messaging from the locker room is consistent about the Raiders' new leader. Here's what O'Connell had to say during the same media availability:
"Klint's been awesome. Really, all ball," O'Connell said. "I think that's been the consistent message from him is: 'We're focused on football.' He wants to win. Do whatever it takes to improve day-to-day. Obviously, a very smart individual that is installing a completely new playbook for most of us. And so, takes a lot of great communication from him and his assistant coaches. They've been doing a great job."
And again, this isn't just players hyping up their head man. Reporters have noticed a different pace and approach this offseason under Kubiak as well. McCoy addressed this on Tuesday when asked, and he seems to really believe that Kubiak is doing things the right way so far.
"Give coach [Kubiak] all the credit in the world for establishing a standard that's very high," McCoy said. "He's very demanding. He's not going to hold back on anybody. In the meetings, team meetings, he's not afraid to point anybody out at practice. It doesn't matter who you are. He's going to coach you hard. There's a standard, and that's the standard he set. And if you want to be great in this league, there's a way to prepare, a way to practice, a way to work, a way to be connected as a team. The things we've done, it's been outstanding. But everything starts with Klint's leadership and the way he treats the players."
Enough said.
Kubiak, by all accounts, is the coach that the Raiders have been missing. He is incredibly serious and all about football, puts an emphasis on teaching, and has a high and unwavering standard. The time to laugh and joke around for Las Vegas is when they start winning.
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