The NFL’s worst-kept secret is no longer secret.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said after the Super Bowl that he’ll become the next head coach of the Raiders.
In an on-field interview with Stacey Dales of NFL Network, Kubiak initially tried to play it cool. “That’s up to God,” Kubiak said in response to whether he’ll become a head coach. “We’re gonna enjoy tonight.”
“So no answers on the network?” Dale said.
“You guys know I’m going to Las Vegas,” Kubiak said. “I’m fired up about it.”
“You’re going for sure?” Dales said.
“Hell yeah I’m going,” Kubiak said. “Of course I’m going.”
The fact that Kubiak said he’s going means that, obviously, he’s been offered the job. Despite the language of the league’s anti-tampering policy, which allows interviews of assistant coaches before their current teams’ seasons end but clearly prohibits the job from being offered or accepted.
And while tampering happens routinely in the NFL, it’s rarely admitted so openly. That alone could make the NFL feel compelled to do something about it.
The last major tampering punishment in the NFL occurred in 2022, after the Dolphins brazenly tampered with Tom Brady and Sean Payton. Now, if the league is inclined to do anything about it, Brady and the Raiders could be in hot water for taking their communications with Kubiak farther than the rules allow.
