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(Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
On Feb. 9, the Las Vegas Raiders made Klint Kubiak’s hiring as their head coach official. As a result, the Silver and Black hope a young offensive mind can help turn the franchise around and make it a contender in the AFC.
After Kubiak played a major role in helping the Seattle Seahawks win Super Bowl LX, he now takes over a rebuilding project with the Raiders. Now that his hiring is official, the next step in the process will be filling out his coaching staff with free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft nearing.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared the latest regarding who Kubiak could be considering to be a part of his coaching staff.
“One name to keep an eye on from the Seattle staff, actually, there are a couple of names to keep an eye on,” Rapoport said in a video posted on X on Feb. 9. “Andrew Janocko, who has been the quarterbacks coach for Seattle and is a close ally of Klint Kubiak, is perhaps in the mix as OC.
“Jake Peetz is another really good young coach who has been, their passing game coordinator in Seattle and would be another name certainly to keep an eye on, as far as either OC in Seattle or potential OC with the Las Vegas Raiders. Klint Kubiak is now, thank you guys, very officially the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach after weeks and weeks of speculation and expectation.”
Raiders Get Kirk Cousins Comp for Fernando Mendoza
With Kubiak now in the mix as head coach, one of the next major steps for the Raiders will be finding their franchise QB. The Silver and Black have an opportunity to select former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza.
During Super Bowl media week, Atlanta Falcons veteran QB Kirk Cousins stated he sees his game in Mendoza when speaking to Yahoo! Sports on Feb. 6.
“My wife told me that there’s a lot out there about how we’re similar look, similar style, play, [and] similar vibe,” Cousins said. “I can see it; I can see the look. I can see the style play. He seems like a cerebral guy and pretty analytical, and certainly, I think of myself in that same vein.
“So I didn’t get to go No. 1 overall, which he probably will. So that’s where the differences start to show up. But I’m sure he’s got a great career ahead of him.”
Kirk Cousins Gives Fernando Mendoza Advice
Meanwhile, Cousins also offered veteran advice to Mendoza as the young signal-caller embarks on his NFL journey in a few months.
“I’d give the advice that Mike Shanahan gave me when I was early in my career: Tough times don’t last; tough people do,” Cousins added. “You just got to stay the course, keep playing, play through the challenges, just get back on the horse every day, no matter what happens, and believe that if you do that, good things will happen to Sam Darnold or to Drake Maye this year. But he seems like a resilient kid who probably already knows all that, and it’ll serve him well.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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