Pete Carroll has done enough during the 2025 NFL season to ensure that he won't be back with the Las Vegas Raiders next year. The fan base is banking on the fact that Mark Davis has already made up his mind, and that nothing that happens in Week 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs will change things.
With a rookie quarterback likely coming to Las Vegas next April, the Raiders would be wise to hire a young head coach from an offensive background. That way, the team's leader can help out the young quarterback and be around for the long haul.
Hiring retread head coaches has worked out for the Silver and Black just as much as signing Band-Aid veteran quarterbacks has in recent years: Not at all. But a first-time head coach like Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak could fit the bill in Las Vegas.
Raiders predicted to land Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as next head coach
Raider Nation, by and large, seems to support that sentiment as well. Luckily for them, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon made some last-minute coaching carousel predictions, and he matched up Kubiak with Las Vegas.
"The Raiders are likely to have the top pick in the 2026 draft, and they're likely to use that selection on a quarterback. And that's where Klint Kubiak comes in.
"The 38-year-old was the passing game coordinator during Brock Purdy's excellent sophomore campaign in San Francisco, and he's had a ton of success with Sam Darnold in Seattle this season.
"His offensive approach makes a lot of sense in Vegas with a rookie quarterback. You know he'd emphasize running back Ashton Jeanty to take pressure off of whoever is drafted, and he would provide a much-needed breath of fresh air to the Raiders."
Now, fans may have some apprehension about hiring another former Seahawks coach. But this would not be repeating history, as Kubiak is half Carroll's age at just 38 years old, and his offense is running circles around the rest of the league in Seattle right now. He's not part of the Carroll tree at all.
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Kubiak's résumé, in totality, isn't anything to write home about. He is the antithesis of Carroll in that way, and what Kubiak doesn't have in track record, he makes up for with his innovation and pedigree as the son of Gary Kubiak, a former NFL quarterback and a Super Bowl champion head coach.
Saddled by average quarterback play at his first two offensive coordinator jobs, Klint Kubiak led units that were right at or just below the league average. He seems to have learned from those shortcomings, as the Sam Darnold-led Seahawks offense averages 29.4 points per game in 2025.
Coaches are allowed to fall on hard times, especially early in their careers. The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately?" kind of league, and what Kubiak has done in Seattle this season is nothing short of spectacular.
Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, whomever the Raiders' pick may be at the top of the draft board in April, would greatly benefit from having a bright young offensive mind like Kubiak around. That's what it is all about in the NFL at the end of the day: Having or developing a great quarterback.