Head coach vacancies are starting to get filled around the NFL, as four out of ten openings have closed with the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans hiring new leaders. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders’ job is still open. However, the good news for the Raiders is that they’ve interviewed 14 candidates and only two, Kevin Stefanski (Falcons) and Jeff Hafley (Dolphins), are off the table.
So, of the 12 remaining candidates for Las Vegas, here’s my take on the Silver and Black’s top five options.
Missed the Cut
Mike McDaniel, Joe Brady, Nate Scheelhaase, Ejiro Evero, Vance Joseph, Matt Nagy, Davis Webb
For starters, the Raiders have gone with the retread route several times during Mark Davis’ tenure as principal owner, and that hasn’t been working. It’s time to give a young, up-and-comer an opportunity to prove himself, taking McDaniel, Joseph and Nagy off the list. That being said, giving the job to someone who hasn’t even been a coordinator yet would be an overcorrection, as Scheelhaase and Webb don’t have enough coaching experience, in my opinion.
Also, while the list below isn’t exclusive to offensive minds, there’s definitely a preference given to those types of candidates. That makes it difficult for Evero to crack the list. As for Brady, he was an intriguing option for Las Vegas last year if the organization was going to land Cam Ward in the draft. However, I don’t think Brady’s offense would be a natural fit for Fernando Mendoza’s playing style.
5. Klay Kubiak
Current job: San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator
Any coach that’s from the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay coaching tree is going get a bump from me. That’s the type of offense Mendoza would be best in and it’s a system that has a proven track record throughout the league, as the tree has grown several branches over the last several years. Kubiak has plenty of experience in that offense, working for Shanahan since 2021. Not to mention his dad, Gary Kubiak, is one of the original Shanahan disciples, having worked under Mike Shanahan for more than a decade with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.
However, Kubiak doesn’t have much NFL experience, having only coached in the league for five seasons. Also, he’s only been in San Francisco, where Shanahan runs the offense, and 2025 is the only campaign where he’s been the 49ers’ coordinator.
4. Mike LaFleur
Current job: Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
There are plenty of similarities between Klay Kubiak and LaFleur, as both have roots in the same coaching tree. The latter got his start in the NFL working under Shanahan as an intern in 2014 and followed Shanahan to Atlanta (2015-2016) and San Francisco (2017-2020), becoming the 49ers’ passing game coordinator for his last two seasons with the club.
Also, the Rams currently have the best offense in the NFL, finishing the regular season first in yards and points scored. The combination of having more experience and a better track record is what gives LaFleur the nod over Kubiak. However, McVay runs the offense in Los Angeles, and LaFleur’s tenure as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator was ugly. His units ranked 28th and 29th in points scored, while Zach Wilson quickly became a bust. That’s what pushes the Rams’ OC down the rankings and behind a couple of defensive-minded candidates.
3. Jesse Minter
Current job: Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator
This one certainly bucks the trend since Minter’s background is on the other side of the ball, and he has no connections to the Shanahan-McVay tree. However, the former Baltimore Ravens’ assistant coach and Michigan defensive coordinator does have a couple of good mentors in Jim and John Harbaugh, both of whom have been successful head coaches in the NFL.
Additionally, the Chargers’ defense has been one of the stingiest in the league with Minter in charge over the last two years, allowing the fewest and ninth-fewest points in those respective campaigns. Factoring in the dominant Wolverine defenses and Michigan’s 28-1 record with a National Championship during his tenure in Ann Arbor, Minter is clearly a good coach.
But the questions about his ability to develop a quarterback and what offense he’d run keep the Chargers’ defensive coordinator out of the top two candidates.
2. Chris Shula
Current job: Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator
If I told you the Rams’ defense got better after Aaron Donald retired, would you believe me? In 2023, Los Angeles ranked 20th in points allowed with Raheem Morris calling the shots. Then, Donald retired, and Morris left to be the Falcons’ head coach, resulting in Shula’s promotion. The Rams were 17th in points allowed during Shula’s first season and became a top 10 unit in 2025, as the defense elevated its performance despite losing the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Shula, who turns 40 in February, is an up-and-coming coach in the NFL. While his experience is on the other side of the ball, he does have a strong connection to the McVay coaching tree, having worked for McVay since the head coach got the job in Los Angeles (2017). Also, those two were teammates in college at Miami Ohio. So, the defensive coordinator could easily bring an offensive assistant who is familiar with the coveted system to call plays in Las Vegas. That could even be LaFleur or Scheelhaase.
However, the problem with that strategy is that if all goes well, the Raiders will likely be looking for a new offensive coordinator in two or three years. That’s what shifts Shula out of the top spot, to me.
1. Klint Kubiak
Current job: Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator
If Tom Brady and John Spytek are looking to pluck from the Shanahan-McVay coaching tree, which their candidate pool suggests they are, then Kubiak is the clear top option. He runs that style of offense and finished the regular season with the NFL’s third-best unit in terms of points scored this year. Also, he’s been successful at other stops during his tenure in the league.
Kubiak’s first offensive coordinator gig was with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, and the Vikings ranked 14th in points scored and 12th in yards that year. In 2024, the New Orleans Saints’ offense was rolling to begin the year until injuries to starting quarterback Derek Carr derailed the season. And that’s just Kubiak’s resume as an offensive coordinator. He was the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach with Kirk Cousins in 2019 and 2020, and worked with Brock Purdy in 2023 while serving as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator.
Additionally, the 38-year-old, who turns 39 in February, is an up-and-comer who hasn’t gotten an opportunity to prove himself as a head coach yet. Ultimately, it seems like Kubiak is exactly what the Raiders should be looking for.
