Klint Kubiak stood before the Raiders’ three Lombardi Trophies on Tuesday with a message for a franchise desperate for stability: he won’t do it alone.
The 38-year-old was introduced as Las Vegas’ sixth head coach in six years at Intermountain Health Performance Center, flanked by Hall of Famers Mike Haynes, Howie Long, Charles Woodson, Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett, and Rich Gannon. Owner Mark Davis watched from the back row as Kubiak and general manager John Spytek laid out a vision built on shared responsibility.
“Connected teams win,” Kubiak said. The former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator flew straight from Super Bowl LIX, where his offense helped beat the Patriots—his third Super Bowl trip in 12 years and first as a play-caller. The Raiders haven’t reached the Super Bowl since 2003 and haven’t won one since 1984.
Spytek said the hire was about more than Kubiak’s ability to score points. “It’s less about scheme and more about the person,” Spytek said. “We were more focused on the humility, the work ethic.”
Davis pointed to the team’s 3-14 record and No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft as reasons to bet on a young offensive mind. “Understanding that there’s a good chance we’ll go on the offensive side of the ball, so it might be a good chance that we would want a young offensive mind that could grow with somebody,” Davis said.
Kubiak confirmed he will continue calling plays but stressed he’s never operated in a vacuum. “I’ve never called a game alone,” he said. He plans to lean on minority owner Tom Brady, whose cell number he already has. “What I’m excited about is we have different offensive backgrounds (and) how we can pull ideas from each other.”
Building a staff is the immediate priority after Seattle’s Super Bowl parade. Kubiak said he has lists for offensive and defensive coordinators and wants “a great staff of teachers.”
On personnel, Kubiak was guarded about Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 pick, calling him “really talented” but saying the top selection requires deliberation. He also sidestepped questions about star defensive end Maxx Crosby, whose name has surfaced in trade rumors. But he offered a clear message to running back Ashton Jeanty, already on the roster: “It’s not about one guy. We’ve got to get the line on the same page, we’ve got to get our quarterback to get the right run checks, we’ve got to get our receivers to block for him.”
Kubiak credited his father, former NFL coach Gary Kubiak, for teaching him to be a good family man—a lesson he shared with his wife and four children in the front row. From former Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, he learned to welcome hard questions. “Mike made my life really hard,” Kubiak said. “I thought we had a good game, then on Monday I wouldn’t want to look him in the eye because I knew all the hard questions were coming.”
