The Las Vegas Raiders finally got the "news" they've known about for a week or so, as offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak of the Seattle Seahawks confirmed his imminent hiring as the new coach of the Raiders moments after Seattle finished throttling the New England Patriots, 29-13, in the Super Bowl.
"You guys know I'm going to Las Vegas," Kubiak said from the Levi's Stadium field in Santa Clara, California, in a staff piece from ESPN. "I'm fired up about it."
Asked again if he was going, Kubiak added: "Hell yeah, I'm going.”
The deal still has to be finalized, but it gives Raiders fans something to be enthusiastic about for a change. Kubiak earned the job based on his ability to improved the Seattle offense, which ranked third in points at 28.4, eighth in total yards at 351.4, eighth in passing yards at 228.1 and tenth in rushing yards at 123.3.
Numbers aside, Kubiak was able to keep turnover-prone quarterback Sam Darnold from going off the rails during the postseason, and Darnold produced more of the same against New England. He put the ball in harm’s way several times early on against the Patriots, but New England was unable to force the key turnover they needed, and Darnold was able to consistently able to escape pressure and make plays.
More impressive was the Seattle running game and the performance of running back Kenneth Walker III, who ended up winning the MVP award. Kubiak patiently stuck with the run even though Walker was consistently stuffed inside early on, and that led to a pair of longer runs that helped Seattle wear down the New England defense and eventually break the game open.
Kubiak will face a completely different set of challenges in Las Vegas, of course. The Raiders’ offensive line is a mess, although the new coach will have a pair of potential assets in running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.
Kubiak will also be trying to win with a rookie quarterback, assuming the Raiders draft Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the upcoming draft. The sudden availability of former Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins also raises the possibility that Kubiak could go with a retread veteran initially given Cousins’ history of getting teams into the first round of the playoffs.
No one really expects that to happen, but it’s one of several fascinating questions that will need to be answered going forward, assuming the hire is finalized without any issues.