“I love earning people’s trust, it’s not just gonna happen with me sitting at a podium.”
Klint Kubiak isn’t selling Wolf Tickets.
Upon his hiring, the Super Bowl winning offensive coordinator fielded a half hour of questions, embracing Raiders legends Rich Gannon, Marcus Allen, Charles Woodson, Howie Long and Jim Plunkett at his initial press conference’s conclusion.
The 38-year-old seemed even keeled, quietly confident and focused. He didn’t begin his tenure with the romantic bravado of Antonio Pierce, or the unrealistic “We’re gonna win a lot of games” declarations of Pete Carroll.
Instead, the Texan spoke of his faith, balancing his family life which he says “Is the most important thing in my life” with his coaching, while remaining non-committal on the seemingly obvious incoming no.1 overall pick in Indiana QB, Fernando Mendoza.
“As far as who the first pick Is gonna be, we’ve got a lot of tape to watch before we determine who that’s going to be,” said Kubiak on potentially selecting Mendoza with the team’s no.1 overall pick
In coaching Sam Darnold and completing Darnold’s late career revival with a Super Bowl championship, Kubiak helped the normally turnover-prone Darnold play turnover free football in 3 playoff games, culminating in Sunday’s victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60.
Should Las Vegas draft Mendoza as expected, former Raiders legend and league MVP Rich Gannon believes it’s a pairing that can work.
“I think Klint got the best out of Sam Darnold,” says Gannon. “It says a lot about Klint’s ability: Not to just be about the X’s & O’s—but I’m gonna build an offensive plan around what he does well. That’s the genius of a Klint Kubiak. There’s a lot to like (about Fernando Mendoza): Toughness, accuracy, competitiveness and leadership skills.”
In acknowledging being the Raiders’ sixth coach in six seasons, Kubiak asked “Why not us? Why not this coaching staff? I look at it as a great challenge.”
The Raiders have seen Jon Gruden resign, Pete Carroll fired after one season and Josh McDaniels make it through just 25 games with just 9 victories. Antonio Pierce began relatively well and then faded, with interim coach Rich Bisaccia securing the lone playoff berth in the team’s time in Las Vegas. None of them won a playoff game.
However, Kubiak arrives younger (last season Pete Carroll was the oldest coach in NFL history at 74 years old) and with more momentum (McDaniels was 3 years removed from New England’s most previous Super Bowl win in 2018) than any previous hire since the team’s move to Las Vegas.
He is armed with the aforementioned cap space, the number one overall pick and two foundational pieces at just 22 and 23 years old in running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.
“Where are you, Ashton?” Kubiak asked with Jeanty in the front row of today’s press conference. “Very excited about his talent. Brock’s (Bowers) already put it on tape. He can be one of the best receivers in the NFL, not just receiving tight ends.”
One question remaining for the Raiders heading into the 2026 season, is will Maxx Crosby remain on the team or will he be traded for more draft capital while he’s still in the prime of his career?
When asked if he still wants Crosby on the Raiders, owner Mark Davis simply responded “Yeah!”
However, Davis later said “What I talk about in the locker room, stays in the locker room,” when asked about any conversations with Crosby on trade rumors.
“I got to drink a cup of coffee with Maxx this morning,” said Kubiak. “We want him to be apart of our success going forward. That’s a no-brainer.”
Queried parties like Davis and Kubiak indeed say they want the 29-year-old star to return, but perhaps with less enthusiasm from Raiders brass in previous offseason with trade rumors floating about.
Last offseason’s highly sought after, 38-year-old offensive coordinator-transitioning to head coach was Ben Johnson. GM John Spytek and Tom Brady took a swing and miss in recruiting Johnson. Johnson instead chose the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams. Ultimately, Chicago came within a game of the NFC Championship Game.
This offseason, Spytek and Brady got their man. Next, they’ll draft their quarterback in Mendoza.
No excuses for the Raiders, they have everything available for a successful rebuild. We’ll see how Kubiak pans out and if the Autumn Wind brings the franchise it’s most successful coaching tenure in a quarter-century.