And then there were three.
With the Buffalo Bills elevating offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach on Tuesday, the NFL’s vacancies has dwindled from 10 to a trio: The Las Vegas Raiders, the Arizona
Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns.
The Silver & Black’s head coach odyssey brought 15 candidates to the table since the dismissal of veteran head coach Pete Carroll on Jan. 5. Of that group, six landed gigs elsewhere — head coach roles or prominent offensive coordinator spots.
Most recently, Las Vegas did conduct second interviews with Brady, Denver Broncos offensive pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and former New York Giants head coach and now Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on Monday. And both Brady and Daboll are off the market.
And as I wrote earlier in the week, expect clarity on the Raiders head coach search soon.
But there appears to be a favorite: Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
I mean, come on. All you have to do is listen to Raiders minority owner and Fox Sports NFL analyst Tom Brady broadcasting Seahawks games during the regular season and in the playoffs to know one of the influential decision makers in Sin City is infatuated with Kubiak.
And it’s not hard to see why Brady has a twinkle in his eye for the 38-year-old play caller.
Kubiak is the architect and orchestrator of the Seattle’s third-ranked offense in points scored (483) and eighth in yards gained (5,973). His balanced attack was on full display throughout the season and the creativity shined bright in playoff games, with the latest a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams to punch the Seahawks’ Super Bowl ticket. It was a masterful display of Kubiak putting his players in the best possible position to succeed, so much so, it made Chris Shula’s Rams defense look pedestrian.
That’s a philosophy was merely lip service from prior Raiders coaches. And if Kubiak is the pick and delivers on that, what a tremendous boon for Las Vegas. With the things all quiet on the Raiders front, it does sure look like all the Silver & Black eggs are in the Kubiak basket.
But what does Las Vegas do if Kubiak says no?
Tangled Webb
While Kubiak is the presumed frontrunner for the Raiders head coach gig, Webb is a popular pick, too. So much so, Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked about Webb potentially landing with the Raiders. And Payton had quite the interesting response.
It’s quite the potential ascension for Webb, a former NFL quarterback that went into the coaching ranks, but hasn’t called plays in regular season games. He’s lauded for his development and relationship building he’s done with Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
It’s that mentorship and rapport that stands out as the Raiders have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft an that presumed selection is going to be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Webb may have a promotion of sorts in Denver, though, as the team fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, a longtime assistant to Payton. But the rapid rise is because of interest from other teams.
If the Raiders — ahem, Tom Brady — strikes out on both Kubiak and Webb, that makes it two offseasons where the minority owner is jilted at the altar. That’d be a disappointing outcome if it were to happen for many. The only known fallback option would be Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who interviewed with the Raiders twice, the in-person one happening on Jan. 20.
The 45-year-old Evero is a highly regarded defensive play caller that’s shown adaptability and maximizing talent provided to him. He did orchestrate very stingy units with the Broncos in 2022 and Panthers in 2023. This past season, Evero’s defense finished 15th in points allowed (380) and 16 in yards yielded (5,563). The Panthers also ranked 10th in takeaways with 21.
One of the five defensive-minded candidates the Raiders interviewed for their opening, Evero’s scheme is versatile as he learned from Vic Fangio, Wade Phillips, and Dom Capers. It’d be a likely schematic change for the 4-3 front Las Vegas ran previously as Evero deploys a 3-4 front. He’s also lauded as a great leader who can build strong relationships with his players.
That said, Las Vegas going the defensive-minded route would be disconcerting considering the offensive-minded candidates interviewed.
