The Las Vegas Raiders missed out on the big fish in last year's coaching cycle. Then-Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson spurned the Silver and Black for the Chicago Bears, leaving the Raiders to hire Pete Carroll, who was a disaster in Las Vegas and was fired after one year.
For morale's sake, and to pair a smart coach from an offensive background with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is likely to be the No. 1 pick, the Raiders needed to land this coaching cycle's big fish: Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. According to reports, they have.
Seahawks GM John Schneider confirmed that Las Vegas got its guy during Super Bowl LX media day, and both Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold have praised Kubiak at length. But, as always, detractors exist, and the Raiders' reported hiring of Kubiak isn't being as widely praised as some would think.
Raiders receive middling grades for reported Klint Kubiak hire
Now, in fairness, both Colin Cowherd and John Middlekauff of Volume Sports think that, a few years down the line, the Raiders' hiring of Kubiak may end up looking the best in retrospect.
"Give me, of all these coaching hires that we're going to look up in four years and go, 'Wow, that worked out better than I thought.' And mine is Klint Kubiak," Cowherd said. "This league is about GM, owner, quarterback, offensive weapons. Kubiak, Brock Bowers, Fernando Mendoza, Spytek, Ashton Jeanty."
Middlekauff then chimed in.
"Here's the other thing they have: They can dangle Maxx Crosby and get a ton, and really start over," Middlekauff said. "You could get Kubiak and Spytek going, 'Hey, Tom [Brady], let's look at this from a macro, big-picture view, and think about 2028. They have a very powerful asset in Crosby. I think that they could get a haul for him and truly just restart this organization moving forward."
According to these two, Kubiak may not only be considered the best coach in the cycle a few years down the road, but he is already perceived so highly that the Raiders may have the confidence in him to offload Crosby and let him truly rebuild the franchise from the ground up.
Another bit of praise came in from former Denver Broncos defensive back Aqib Talib, who spoke on The Arena: Gridirion podcast about the hire. Raider Nation has no love lost for Taliq, nor does he for the fanbase, but his connection to Kubiak's dad, Gary, allowed him to evaluate the hire honestly.
"A+. Whoever got Klint was going to get the A+," Talib said. "It's time for him to shine. This is a football bloodline guy. We know his dad, Gary Kubiak. He played and coached under Mike Shanahan. So, he knows the original Shanahan system like the back of his hand. ... Now he's running his own version of it in Seattle, and it's one of the most explosive offenses in the league, if you ask me. Just being around him in Denver, for two years, I was around him, you could feel the leadership. He's a real football guy; he knows everybody in the building, he brings that same energy every day. He's just a great football mind and a great guy to be around in the building."
Talib also talked about the weapons at Kubiak's disposal, including Jeanty, Bowers and Mendoza. He said the Raiders' wide receiver group is slept on as well, and that Kubiak can still add a No. 1 wideout and clean up the offensive line. Talib promised that Las Vegas would have a top offense next year.
RELATED: Mike Macdonald's Klint Kubiak comments tell Raiders fans all they need to know
Now, it's not like the hiring of Kubiak has been universally praised. Richie Incognito also spoke highly of the decision, but because it was the Raiders who hired him, Kubiak now has his share of naysayers. He would undoubtedly be a unanimous "A+ hire" if someone like the Buffalo Bills hired him.
The first detractor was NFL Spin Zone, as they went through and ranked each of the 10 head coach hires from the 2026 cycle. While Las Vegas did not necessarily receive a terrible ranking, the Raiders ended up at No. 5, which is a bit too low.
"The son of Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak, will depart from Seattle to become the Las Vegas Raiders' next head coach. Kubiak commanded the Seahawks' offense in 2025 and obviously has the past history and NFL blood to succeed as a head coach. The Raiders are also very likely to take Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This feels like, finally, a solid hire for Vegas."
Again, it's hard to be upset with "solid," based on how some of the Raiders' other recent hires have panned out. But FanSided.com also gave out grades for each of the 10 hires, and Las Vegas received a B+. Once again, this is not a "bad" grade, but it is not as inspiring as some would like.
"I think going for an offensive coach was the right move, considering the options that were out there. Kubiak, especially coming off a Super Bowl run in Seattle, is set up for success even if the Raiders aren't the best team to coach right now. This shouldn't backfire and should ultimately be what turns Vegas from the bottom feeders of the AFC West into a division title contender in no time."
The Las Vegas Review-Journal also gave the Raiders a B+ for the Kubiak hire, as did USA Today, and FOX Sports labeled the move a B- decision. To be fair, the Raiders have been an "F" franchise over the years, so earning Bs will do the trick, at least for now.
But a B+ doesn't win a Super Bowl, nor does having the fifth-best hire in a given coaching cycle. It's tough to tell how much of the dissent is about Kubiak himself, or whether it is Las Vegas that these graders and rankers are doubting.
Hiring Kubiak was always plan No. 1 for the Raiders and the fanbase, and for once, they actually got their guy. If Las Vegas starts winning during the 2026 NFL season, it won't be long until folks start eating their words and acting like they thought Kubiak was the best hire all along.