Raiders' Klint Kubiak Is A Serious Coach Of The Year Choice

Klint Kubiak won a Super Bowl as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator, and he was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their new head coach. 

The 2025 season was ugly, and the Pete Carroll hire did not work out (surprise, surprise). To be honest, the Carroll hire was always a questionable decision, and he only lasted one year in Sin City. 

Enter Kubiak, and he has now taken the Raiders to a 3-1 start, just minutes away from a thrilling Week 4 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. 

At the time, the Kubiak hire was viewed as a strong move, and after a month of the regular season, it looks like a home run. 

It's early, sure, but when you think about the NFL Coach of the Year, Kubiak's name has to be in the conversation. 

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com named the top five COTY candidates right now, with Kubiak in the top spot. 

Here was Brooks' list going into Week 5. 

It's hard to argue against any of the coaches here, and the fact that John Harbaugh has a 3-1 record despite Jaxson Dart suffering a season-ending injury is stunning. 

Here is what Brooks said about having Kubiak at No. 1. 

"With an imperfect roster that requires Kubiak to be at his best as a white-board chess master, the rookie head coach is my easy front-runner for the prestigious award," Brooks wrote. 

The roster is definitely not perfect, and the wide receivers in Las Vegas are severely underwhelming (no, Brock Bowers isn't a wide receiver). 

Right now, this conversation is just that - a conversation. If the Giants or Raiders lose a string of games, neither coach will be on the list. 

But, if either makes the postseason, they will likely win the award. 

Johnson has the Bears playing well again, and Coen has the Jaguars emerging as an AFC contender, and did anybody see that coming two years ago? 

Klint Kubiak deserves his flowers. Moreover, the Raiders deserve their flowers for milking the coaching cycle and choosing Kubiak as the coach. 

So far, it has worked, and at worst, the fan base is excited, and the Raiders future is brighter than it has been over the past half-decade, at least. 

Let's see if Kubiak and the Raiders can keep the momentum going. If so, he might earn the award in his first season as a head coach in the NFL.