The Las Vegas Raiders have been the NFL equivalent of a fifth wheel in the ongoing search for new coaches, but the Raiders will sign someone eventually, and there’s a decent chance it could be one of the coordinators who will be playing tomorrow.
There’s plenty for Raiders fans to watch, so let’s do a quick rundown on who to watch, why the Raiders are interested, and what their chances are of landing these coordinators.
Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks
Kubiak is considered one of the hot offensive names right now, and he’s worked in a variety of roles during his five years in the coaching ranks. In addition to being a coordinator, he’s also been an offensive assistant, a passing game coordinator and an assistant head coach for multiple team, although some of these titles are mostly cosmetic.
But winning with quarterback Sam Darnold isn’t cosmetic, especially given Seattle’s deep playoff run. The Seahawks calling card is their fierce defense, but Darnold has fallen apart before, so just keeping him upright and productive is a significant accomplishment.
The problem with the Raiders in this equation is familiar—they probably won’t be the first choice when Kubiak gets hired. The Arizona Cardinals are the betting favorites right now, so it would be a coup for minority owner Tom Brady if he was able to talk Kubiak into coming to Las Vegas.
Davis Webb, passing game coordinator, Denver Broncos
Davis is young at 31, but he’s also a former quarterback who’s learning his coaching chops under Denver coach Sean Payton. Payton gets most of the credit for the Broncos success, and justifiably so given how hard it is to tell how much Webb is actually contributing to the final product on the field.
The good news, though, is that the Raiders are the only team that’s talked to Webb to date. That might be telling, but this wouldn’t be a shocking hire given Webb's youth and inexperience and how undesirable the Las Vegas job is generally considered.
Chris Shula, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams
The coaching lineage is obvious in Shula’s last name, and Shula has led an underrated Rams defense that ranks ninth in scoring defense over the last two years and seventh in forcing turnovers, according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic.
It’s unlikely that the Raiders decide to go with someone whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, especially since the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers are also rumored to be interested in Shula. Still, he’s a name to watch, especially if the Rams defense can turn Darnold back into a turnover machine.