Have you seen that Nike commercial with the late Kobe Bryant and Kanye West?
If you haven’t, no worries. That basketball commercial was a play on Bryant’s mamba mentality where he sought more from Kanye.
“But are you a different animal and the same beast?,” Bryant asks. That “more successful and more records” uttered in a humorous and serious tone in that ad is pitch perfect for the upcoming wind of change for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Enter Klint Kubiak.
The impending new head coach is set to dial up the plays as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in a Super Bowl LX matchup against the New England Patriots. And when the 38-year-old Kubiak inks a contract with the Raiders after the big game, tight end Brock Bowers will be a major benefactor.
Kubiak has never called plays for a tight end with elite skillset that Bowers brings to the table. Add into the fact that the incoming coach is a creative and deceptive play caller, Kubiak has the ability to unleash Bowers even more.
What a nightmare that’ll be for opposing defenses. Teams already have issues covering the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Bowers in his first two seasons in the NFL, and these are years where Las Vegas ranked dead last in points scored and yards gained in 2025 and 29th and 27th in both categories in 2024. Our Tristian Kuhn broke down notable Raiders who fit Kubiak’s scheme this past weekend, do check that out if you haven’t.
Bringing in Kubiak to captain the ship and impart his offensive mindset onto the team portends to better firepower and production overall for Las Vegas. The team not only was the caboose of the entire NFL in points scored and yards gained, the Silver & Black ground game ranked 32nd. There was no team worse than the Raiders in running the ball and the team sports the 28th ranking in passing.
In Kubiak’s tenure as the Seahawks play caller, Seattle ranked third in points scored, eighth in yards gained while the pass attacking ranked eighth in yards gained and the ground game 10th in the same category. Granted, that was done with a meticulously crafted and talented roster assembled by Seahawks general manager John Schneider — who confirmed his offensive coordinator is Las Vegas-bound on Super Bowl 60 press row — and the difference in builds in the Great Northwest and in the desert are stark comparisons.
That said, the Raiders are not without ample resources — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, projected cap space of $90 million — and talent — Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty, defensive end Maxx Crosby. General manager John Spytek and Kubiak will combine for (yet another) Raider rebuild. While it’d be nice for Kubiak to come in like gangbusters and course correct in Year 1, even slight improvement offensively would be a boon — that’s how bad things were this past season.
And as ridiculous of a notion it may seem, Bowers, the team’s premiere tight end, can ascend to a different level in Kubiak’s offense. This is due to the coach showcasing the ability to put play makers all over the field and not at their traditional spots, like wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In the NFC Championship game, we bore witness to Kubiak putting the explosive wideout in the backfield and that allowed the Seahawks to manipulate the Los Angeles Rams defense. In Bowers, Kubiak gets an equally versatile chess piece to exploit the opposition.
“I feel like I can be used in a multitude of ways,” Bowers said shortly after being drafted by the Raiders. “At Georgia, I was moved all around. They put me in the backfield sometimes, tight end, slot, outside receiver. So, I feel like versatility is a big part of my game and I’m just excited to see what’s in store for this next year.”
The Bulldogs’ clash with the South Carolina Gamecocks below is proof of that:
In his two seasons in Silver & Black, Bowers has lined up at the traditional tight end spots, at slot and even perimeter/boundary receiver, alongside fullback/H-back. This has created mismatches as the Raiders took advantage of the 23-year-old’s versatility.
The 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft played in 12 games this past season hauling in 64 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns. His rookie year, the Georgia product played in all 17 games and caught 112 passes for 1,194 yard and five touchdowns.
But more can be done — whether that’s exploiting defenses with Bowers unique blend of size, speed, route running and hands or feeding the fearsome tight end. Make all three levels of the opposing defense account for the supremely talented tight end.
And Kubiak is the right coach to see that happen.
