Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is reportedly having his second interview with the Las Vegas Raiders, a week before Seattle plays the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Kubiak has been one of the hottest names on the coaching market this offseason, but only two vacancies remain.
One is the Raiders, where Kubiak would be replacing another former Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll. While that might be somewhat of a coincidence, Kubiak never worked with Carroll, so it likely feels as if the coaches would have come from completely different organizations. Plus, one is offensive-minded and the other, well…isn’t.
Assuming Kubiak gets the head coaching gig in Vegas (the Raiders seem to be waiting for him), he might want to bring along some current Seattle players who are set for free agency. Vegas has the cap room to be aggressive in free agency, and adding players the young coach is comfortable with makes sense.
Seattle Seahawks’ Klint Kubiak might become the next Raiders coach, but which players might he take with him?
Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed
The hope, of course, for Seattle fans is that Shaheed stays with the Seahawks. He has been a transformative player since general manager John Schneider acquired him at the trade deadline. Shaheed is much more than just a wide receiver; he is arguably the best kick and punt returner in the NFL.
Shaheed’s speed is needed in Vegas, too. The assumption is that the Raiders will restart at quarterback, likely choosing Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and the best way for a young quarterback to succeed quickly is to give him a good offensive line and an abundance of good skill position players.
Shaheed and Kubiak have worked together for a bit of time now. In 2024, Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, and that was who Shaheed played for before coming to Seattle. The player would know what the coach needs and vice versa. If Kubiak goes to the Raiders, Shaheed would be the perfect fit in his system.
Wide receiver Dareke Young
Young might never be an amazingly productive receiver, though he has excellent speed and size, but he is obviously the kind of player Kubiak likes. When Seattle set its Week 1 roster, the team kept bigger receivers Young, Jake Bobo, and Cody White. Each can play special teams, but they all can block well, too.
Kubiak likes to run the ball, and having receivers such as Young is a must. The Raiders have Ashton Jeanty, who didn’t meet expectations as a rookie, but he also had poor blocking and a poor system. Kubiak would be able to use him well.
Young is also fantastic on special teams, and every team can use more productive players in that area. He is also a good guy to have in the locker room, and with Kubiak trying to reset the Raiders locker room culture, adding Young would be beneficial.
Running back Kenneth Walker III
The Seattle Seahawks might need to be aggressive in bringing Walker back in 2026 and beyond. 2025 has been his best and healthiest season, and while he has worked in tandem with Zach Charbonnet, Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs and might not be ready at the start of next year. Seattle would be left without both of its top two running backs if Walker signed elsewhere.
Still, as all 12s know, Walker is a great fit in Kubiak’s system, and the running back understands being a part of a rotation. He and Jeanty would form the same kind of duo that Walker and Charbonnet did with the Seahawks.
The question is how much it will take to sign Kenneth Walker. Running backs tend to be devalued financially compared to other positions, but it only takes one team to offer Walker more than John Schneider would be comfortable doing. That team could be the Raiders.
Cornerback Riq Woolen
The coaching structure of Klint Kubiak with the Las Vegas Raiders would, of course, not be known. The assumption is that Kubiak would make the offensive play-calls, but would trust his defensive coordinator to make sure that side of the ball is improved.
Vegas isn’t without talent, especially with edge rusher Maxx Crosby, but the Raiders need a high-quality cornerback. Woolen obviously has some issues keeping his emotions under control, but he can be a shutdown cornerback. Kubiak would improve the Raiders’ offense, but he needs players like Woolen to help make the defense better, too.
