With the 2026 offseason underway, many teams around the league are working to find their next head coaches. One of those teams was the Las Vegas Raiders, who fired HC Pete Carroll after a disappointing first season.
Already, four head coach vacancies have been filled, but Las Vegas is not one of them. With top candidates going to other teams, the Raiders must make their decision soon, and it seems they are closing in on it.
NFL Insider Predicts Offensive-Minded Coaching Hire for the Las Vegas Raiders
Having a disappointing 2025 season is not what the Raiders wanted to happen, but the good news is that for their effort (or lack thereof), Las Vegas has the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, per PFSN’s NFL Playoff predictor.
Although this is not the best QB class, the Raiders have a clear option at #1. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza played at a high level all season, and after winning the National Championship over Miami, it’s all but guaranteed he will be heading to Las Vegas next. This makes the Raiders a very valuable destination, especially with stars like RB Ashton Jeanty and TE Brock Bowers on the roster.
With those weapons and the potential of Menzdoza, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Raiders are looking for an offensive coach to hire as HC, and two names are atop the list:
“The Raiders are believed to be focusing on an offensive-minded head coach to pair with the likely number one overall pick in Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Alongside weapons like Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. I’ve heard a lot of Klint Kubiak and Davis Webb mentioned here.”
Here’s more on the #Raiders HC search and what the league-wide belief is on which direction they are leaning: pic.twitter.com/7dASvBCIc6
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 21, 2026
Las Vegas going with a more offense-focused coach makes too much sense. A potential star rookie QB like Mendoza must be put in the best situation to succeed, and by bringing in an offensive guy, he can build the coaching staff to get that done. Plus, with Tom Brady being involved with the process as a minority owner of the Raiders, QB development would make sense as a focus.
Both Kubiak and Webb, the two options Schultz explains are top choices for the Raiders, will be great for the offense and Mendoza’s development.
Schultz also mentions another name in the coaching search as a possibility, but instead of an offensive coach, it’s a defensive coach. “Jesse Minter, a defensive-minded coach, has come up as well. But within league circles, the belief is that this will ultimately be an offensive hire.”
Minter is a valued candidate this coaching cycle, so his name makes sense as a possibility, but as Schultz said, it’s more likely the Raiders go with an offensive coach like Kubiak or Webb.
