The Las Vegas Raiders officially hired Klint Kubiak as their next head coach on Monday evening, agreeing to a five-year contract. Reports indicated that a deal would get done after Super Bowl LX, and less than a day later, Kubiak and his family were in Las Vegas, ready for the next challenge.
Kubiak will address local reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday at 11 a.m. PST, and he'll surely have more media obligations throughout the day. But the real work will start soon after, and No. 1 on the offseason checklist is finalizing his coaching staff.
Having bounced around the NFL for the last few years and with connections to several of the league's prominent coaching trees, Kubiak should have no shortage of options as he builds out his first staff as a head coach.
Nailing the offensive coordinator hire will be paramount, as that person will work intimately with Fernando Mendoza, the presumed No. 1 pick in April's draft and Las Vegas' hopeful franchise quarterback. Luckily, Kubiak has a likely and enticing name in mind.
Raiders should hire Klint Kubiak's buddy Andrew Janocko as OC
Andrew Janocko, the current Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach, is a close confidant of Kubiak's, and he has been commonly linked to the offensive coordinator job in Las Vegas. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport corroborated these assessments on Monday night.
"One name to keep an eye on from the Seattle staff: Andrew Janocko, who has been the quarterbacks coach for Seattle, who is a close ally to Klint Kubiak. Perhaps he is in the mix as offensive coordinator," Rapoport said. "Jake Peetz, another really good, young coach who has been (the) passing game (coordinator) in Seattle, would be another name certainly to keep an eye on as far as either OC in Seattle or potential OC with the Las Vegas Raiders."
Now, Peetz would not be a bad option, either. But Peetz seems like the frontrunner to land the Seahawks' now-vacant offensive coordinator job, as he was in Seattle before Kubiak's arrival, and the two have only worked together for one year.
Janocko, however, has worked with Kubiak at three different stops for a total of five years. The 37-year-old assistant, who has 13 years of NFL experience coaching quarterbacks, wide receivers, and the offensive line, would likely leap at the chance to be an offensive coordinator in Las Vegas.
RELATED: Raiders fans won't like what Maxx Crosby reportedly told Tom Brady
Sam Darnold's play really took off this past year under Janocko, and Derek Carr didn't have a bad year playing under him in 2024, either. Kirk Cousins arguably had his best career year with the Minnesota Vikings when Janocko was the quarterbacks coach there as well.
Mendoza will need every tool at his disposal to develop properly as he makes the jump to the NFL level, and with Kubiak taking on increased leadership responsibilities as a head coach, Janocko can step in and be his proxy when working with the projected No. 1 pick.
After so many years of working together, one would think that Janocko and Kubiak speak the same language, in a sense. That can help streamline communication between the head coach and the young quarterback, which will be paramount to Mendoza's early development.
Obviously, Kubiak will still be calling offensive plays in Las Vegas. But Janocko taking on offensive coordinator duties would be a promotion that the Seahawks cannot block him from taking, and he would be a like-minded person to help Kubiak and the offensive staff help with gameplanning.
He may not be a household name, but Andrew Janocko is a highly-regarded NFL coach. If Kubiak can land him as the Raiders' offensive coordinator, it would be a dream scenario for Mendoza, the team, and the fanbase. Everyone being on the same page is of the utmost importance.
Something tells me that, unless the Seahawks made Janocko an offer that he can't refuse, and that's unlikely with the plethora of promising young coaches that Seattle has, he'll be headed to Sin City on the next plane out after his good friend and new boss.