Roughly 24 hours after he completed his duties as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator in Super Bowl LX, multiple reports confirmed Klint Kubiak would be the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
As Kubiak shapes his coaching staff, he will surely prioritize familiarity wherever possible as he implements his vision. That priority could easily transfer to offseason moves, as he takes some sort of role in what's done, or not done, by general manager John Spytek in free agency and the draft.
As speculation about the future of Maxx Crosby continues to come, the Raiders either have to have a plan to replace him or a plan to help him. With him, their pass rush needs reinforcements. Without him, building the pass rush would start back at square one.
Raiders matched with pair of edge rushers who have Klint Kubiak ties
Greg Auman of Fox Sports has newly ranked the top 100 upcoming NFL free agents, from No. 100 down to No. 1, with potential team matches for many of them. It's easy to make the Raiders a match for a lot of free agents, considering both need and salary cap space, but two stood out.
Starting Auman's list, at No. 100, is future Hall of Famer Von Miller.
"Miller, 36, managed to lead Washington with nine sacks in 2025 while playing rotational snaps on an affordable $6 million deal. Can he do it again for Year 16? Of course, he can. He's the NFL'sactive career sack leader with 138.5, a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he's playing for a fraction of what he cost a few years ago. He played in his heyday for Gary Kubiak in Denver, so could he finish his career with Klint in Las Vegas?"
It feels like a stretch to tie Miller to the Raiders based solely on his having played for Kubiak's dad in Denver. But he remains an effective situational pass rusher as he approaches 37 years old, and he is known to have a close relationship with Crosby. As the Raiders try to repair their own relationship with their star pass rusher, adding Miller could help.
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Down into the top-40 on Auman's list, at No. 35, is Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe.
"Mafe, 27, has seen his sack totals go down sharply in the last two years, from nine in 2023 to six in 2024 and just two in 2025. Seattle's defense was outstanding, giving up the fewest points in the league, and Mafe is an undervalued part of that front. ESPN has a "pass rush win rate" statistic, and Mafe had the eighth-best pass rush win rate in the NFL, just two spots below the Browns' Myles Garrett. Seattle has plenty of cap space to bring him back, but if it doesn't, keep an eye on the Raiders, who are hiring Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak."
Raw sack production can be misleading in showing how effective a pass rusher actually is. Mafe's role also changed this past season in Seattle, as he played just 50 percent of the defensive snaps during the regular season.
He totaled 44 quarterback pressures, counting the playoffs, according to Pro Football Focus, with the 20th-best pass rush grade on "true pass sets" (81.2) among all edge rushers. Mafe has also been an effective run defender, with at least a 67.8 PFF grade in three of his four seasons.
The amount of cap space the Raiders have opens up all kinds of options this offseason. Narrowing to the most ideal fits to fill needs also shouldn't be difficult, and there's a case for both Mafe and Miller to be on the radar as Kubiak tries to replicate the defensive formula Seattle had so much success with.