Klint Kubiak will stand on the Las Vegas sideline Sunday when the Raiders open their 2026 season against Miami. He is 37 years old. He has never been an NFL head coach before this weekend.
The Raiders hired Kubiak in January after firing Antonio Pierce, who lasted 14 months in the permanent role. Pierce went 4-13 in 2025 after an interim audition that convinced owner Mark Davis he'd found stability. Kubiak spent last season as the New Orleans offensive coordinator, where his unit ranked 9th in EPA per play despite rotating three quarterbacks through concussion protocol. Before that, three seasons in San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan, then two years in Minnesota calling plays for Kirk Cousins. His father Gary won a Super Bowl in Denver; Klint has been around West Coast systems since he was twelve and taking notes in meeting rooms.
The timing matters because Davis is now three coaching cycles into trying to replace Jon Gruden's second tenure, which ended in leaked emails and a $550 million wrongful termination claim Davis settled quietly last spring. Kubiak's contract is four years guaranteed, structured with escalators tied to playoff appearances, not win totals. The front office signed him knowing they're rebuilding around a quarterback they haven't drafted yet. Aidan O'Connell starts Sunday, but the Raiders hold two first-round picks in April and are widely expected to spend one on a passer if Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava falls past pick 7.
What Kubiak does have is continuity on offense. The Raiders kept nine of eleven starters from last season's unit, added a guard from Chicago in free agency, and ran the same outside-zone concepts in training camp that Kubiak installed in New Orleans. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stayed on staff, which is notable because Davis usually clears the building after a firing. Graham's unit ranked 11th in defensive DVOA last year despite losing edge rusher Maxx Crosby for six games to a broken foot. Crosby is healthy. The secondary added a corner from Seattle for $38 million over three years. The infrastructure is there for a team that wins ugly and keeps Kubiak's offense on schedule.
Miami is a useful test case. The Dolphins went 11-6 last season, lost in the wild-card round, and are trotting out the same offense that averaged 27.4 points per game in 2025. Mike McDaniel is in year four. Tua Tagovailoa is in a contract year, playing for $53 million fully guaranteed this season with an extension that stalled in February. If the Raiders can stay within a score, it suggests Kubiak's system translates quickly. If Miami pulls away by halftime, the questions about whether Davis hired another coordinator who isn't ready start before the plane lands in Vegas.
GM Tom Telesco is in year two of his own contract. He and Kubiak were hired eleven days apart, which means their timelines are linked. If Kubiak wins six or seven games this year and shows offensive improvement, Telesco can draft a quarterback in April and sell a three-year window to Davis and the Allegiant Stadium suite holders who haven't renewed at 2024 rates. If Kubiak wins three, Davis has already shown he'll restart the cycle. The coordinator interviews start in January.
Watch for how Kubiak manages O'Connell's dropbacks. New Orleans used play-action on 31% of snaps last season, highest in the league. If that number holds Sunday, it signals Kubiak trusts his line enough to turn their backs to Miami's edge rush. If the Raiders come out in empty sets and quick game, it means he's coaching scared.
The takeaway
Kubiak's four-year deal buys time to draft a quarterback, but Davis has fired three coaches mid-rebuild since 2021.
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