Starting Anew: Raiders Introduce New Coach, Klint Kubiak, Flanked By Former Team Greats In Hopes Of Reigniting Once-Proud Franchise
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The new 38-year-old head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders was dressed in dark suit, white shirt and tie this morning and when Klint Kubiak talked about God at his presser today it was easy to imagine the straight-shooting football coach sitting on a church pew bench.
Only two days removed from coaching the Seattle Seahawks offense to a Super Bowl 60 championship, Kubiak was flanked on stage by the greatest living Raiders players like Howie Long, Charles Woodsen, Nike Haynes and Marcus Allen at his introduction.
Raiders owner Mark Davis sat in the back of the team’s meeting room and only chatted with media after the 38-minute press conference ended.
Kubiak succeeds a litany of Raiders coaches — both permanent and interim — who have donned the headset on the team’s sideline at Allegiant Stadium. The Las Vegas relocation began with Davis’ longtime friend, Jon Gruden, as head coach in 2020. Then it was interim Rich Bisaccia, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce (both interim and permanent) and Pete Carroll, the NFL’s oldest coach.
Kubiak, who turns 39 next week, is the former offensive coordinator of the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks. His hiring at the age of 38 harkens to a time when Mark Davis’ father, Al Davis, hired a young coach by the name of John Madden at age of 32.
But the personalities of Madden and Kubiak could not be more different.
While Madden was a bigger-than-life presence, Kubiak answered a couple dozen questions in a straight-forward manner, cracking an occasional joke with a wry delivery.
Raiders General Manager John Spytek, who led the hiring process, talked of Kubiak’s humility and work ethic as two qualities that stood out.
Kubiak’s quotes has a back-to-basics tone like “Earning the trust of the building is a daily process” and “It’s a blessing” to have Raiders greats like Jim Plunkett and Rich Gannon on his right and left at the introduction table.
“Raiders sold itself,” Kubiak said of why he decided to take this job.
He cited the team’s resources like a fabulous headquarters and training center and lots of salary cap space.
“There is a lot of love about this organization,” Kubiak said. “This is as good as it gets in the NFL.”
While the Raiders’ building and resources are impressive, their team records in 2024 and 2025 are among lowest in the 32-team National Football League. The Raiders finished 4-13 under Pierce in 2024 and 3-14 under Carroll in 2025 — a record that was so bad that it earned the Raiders the number one overall draft pick in the NFL Draft in April. Most believe the Raiders will pick Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, college football’s Heisman Award winner, as the Draft’s top selection.
In response to an LVSportsBiz.com question about what he will do to bring stability to the franchise, Kubiak said he needs to assemble a team of teachers and coaches to guide the team led by defensive star Maxx Crosby and offensive playmakers Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty.
After the presser, Davis was swarmed by media as he sat back in a meeting room cushioned chair and answered questions.
The NFL trend is to hire young offensive minds who can rejuvenate teams like the 2025 playoff clubs Bears (Ben Johnson) and Jaguars (Liam Coen).
Kubiak is returning to Seattle for a championship parade Tuesday and then the Raiders job starts in earnest Wednesday.
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