The Las Vegas Raiders seemed like they were narrowing things down to two candidates during their head coach search: Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Denver Broncos passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb.
And then Webb dropped out of the race.
This leaves Las Vegas in a predicament if Kubiak stays in Seattle after this year. Several reports have indicated that the Seahawks are trying to recruit him back, so the Raiders are putting all of their eggs into the Kubiak basket in anticipation of him making the leap to head coach after the Super Bowl.
Raider Nation still has scars from getting spurned by Ben Johnson last offseason, so the idea of Kubiak not coming to Las Vegas after this waiting around during the coaching cycle is too much to bear. But another head coach candidate is apparently still in the running.
Jeremy Fowler says Ejiro Evero is still in running for Raiders' HC job
Las Vegas interviewed a total of 15 prospect head coaches, only seven of whom are feasibly still available. Outside of Kubiak, who will interview again on Saturday, only one of the Raiders' remaining candidates has even interviewed twice: Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
None of the Los Angeles Rams' contingent of Mike LaFleur, Nate Scheelhaase, or Chris Shula, nor veteran coaches Vance Joseph or Matt Nagy, has interviewed twice, yet each of them is still available. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler may have reported a reason for that:
"Eyes on Klint Kubiak for the Raiders job, but Panthers DC Ejiro Evero is still in the mix there. Some candidates have been eliminated, but he has not. He conveyed detailed QB/offensive plan in in-person meeting with Raiders. Raiders regime and Evero have Denver ties."
Apprehension about hiring Evero, a defensive-minded head coach, should be stymied by the report that he has a clear plan for the offensive side of the football, and specifically, the quarterback position. This report, in fact, almost confirms that the Raiders will select Fernando Mendoza.
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It should be noted that Kubiak also has ties to the regime in Las Vegas, as general manager John Spytek was in a pivotal personnel role with the Denver Broncos when Gary, his father, was the head coach of the franchise and won the Super Bowl in 2015.
Jordan Schultz also reported that, although Klint Kubiak is believed to be the favorite, no oficial determination has been made yet by the Raiders. Nor is it clear whether or not Kubiak would take the job in Las Vegas. ESPN's Adam Schefter thinks he'll leave Seattle, but he's been off-base recently.
Simply put, the head coaching search in Las Vegas is ironclad. While the current timeline certainly indicates that the Raiders have been waiting for Kubiak, it sounds like Evero isn't out of the running. Overlooked? Yes. Counted out? By most, yes. But eliminated? Reportedly, Evero is far from that.