SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The champagne hadn’t even dried in the visitor’s locker room at Levi’s Stadium before Klint Kubiak dropped the second bombshell of the night. Moments after orchestrating the offense that powered the Seattle Seahawks to a definitive 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, Kubiak confirmed the worst-kept secret in the NFL: he is the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Hell yeah, I’m going,” Kubiak told reporters on the field, cutting through the celebration with rare candor. The move caps a whirlwind 24 hours where Kubiak went from play-calling a championship rout to accepting one of the toughest rebuilding jobs in football.
The Brady-Kubiak Era Begins in Vegas
Kubiak takes the reins of a franchise desperate for stability. The Raiders are reeling from the failed one-year experiment with Seahawks legend Pete Carroll, whose 2025 stint in Vegas ended in disaster. Now, minority owner Tom Brady is putting his stamp on the team. Brady, who knows a thing or two about offensive precision, reportedly championed the Kubiak hire, looking for a mind that could maximize the franchise’s next massive investment.
That investment is almost certainly Fernando Mendoza. The Heisman-winning Cal quarterback is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, and Kubiak’s arrival signals the Raiders are all-in on a modern, high-octane rebuild. Kubiak’s system turned Sam Darnold into a Pro Bowler and resurrected the Seahawks’ attack; the Raiders are betting the house he can do the same for Mendoza in the AFC West.
Leaving a Dynasty in Seattle
Seattle fans have every right to feel bittersweet today. Sure, they just watched Kenneth Walker III carve up the Patriots defense to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, and they saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba cement his Offensive Player of the Year campaign with a dazzling performance. But losing the architect of that offense stings.
Kubiak didn’t just call plays in Seattle; he built a juggernaut. Under his watch, the Seahawks offense was a machine, balancing Walker’s ground dominance with Darnold’s career-best efficiency. Walking away from a roster this loaded is a massive gamble, but the allure of full control—and working alongside Brady—was clearly too much to pass up.
“You guys know I’m going to Las Vegas, and I’m fired up about it. I wanted one more night to celebrate with these guys… but we got the job done. Now it’s time to work.” — Klint Kubiak, Post-Game Interview
What’s Next: The Offseason Shuffle
For the Raiders, the clock starts now. With Kubiak officially on board, expect Las Vegas to aggressively shape their roster to fit his zone-run, play-action heavy scheme before the draft in April. For Seattle, the hangover will be short-lived. Head Coach Mike Macdonald now faces the unenviable task of replacing a Super Bowl-winning coordinator while trying to run it back in 2026. The dynasty is intact, but the brain trust just took a massive hit.
