When the Raiders hired Klint Kubiak, they landed a coach who already knows how to win at the highest level. The catch is that his first season in Las Vegas could bring an immediate reunion with the team that just watched him help raise a Lombardi Trophy.
Seattle comes to Las Vegas in Week 10 of the 2026 season, and that matchup will force Kubiak to stare down his old team. The Seahawks are coming off a title run, and even without Kubiak on the sideline, the view from Seattle still looks ominous.
To get a better read on what Las Vegas is walking into, we checked in with Lee Vowell of 12th Man Rising, FanSided’s Seahawks site. Vowell has been right before, and he didn’t exactly offer much comfort for anyone hoping the Seahawks would take a step back.
Kubiak’s exit, according to Vowell, was handled cleanly. He was invited back for Seattle’s Super Bowl ring ceremony and spent time with players, coaches, and general manager John Schneider as if he still belonged there. Seattle, Vowell said, treats a coordinator leaving for a head-coaching job as a good thing for the person involved.
But that doesn’t mean the Seahawks are sitting around worrying about whether they’ll be fine without him. They know Kubiak helped deliver a championship in his lone season there, and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury now inherits a huge job. Fleury has never called plays before, which makes the transition a real one, even if the organization is optimistic.
There’s still plenty of belief in Fleury. He brings broad NFL experience, having worked on both sides of the ball, and Vowell pointed to his intelligence and his familiarity with Sam Darnold from their time together in San Francisco. The scheme, he added, should not be a dramatic departure from Kubiak’s approach because both coaches come from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, much like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan.
Seattle’s offseason also wasn’t about standing still. The Seahawks lost four key free agents, but they also return the most snaps played by the previous season’s Super Bowl-winning team since 2010. That doesn’t guarantee another run, but Vowell made clear that the bigger obstacle is the NFC West, not a mass talent drain.
He also pointed to several replacements that should help smooth the transition. Ty Okada is already in place for safety Coby Bryant.
Jadarian Price should handle Kenneth Walker III’s role. Riq Woolen, meanwhile, was described as inconsistent and seeing fewer snaps as last season wore on.
On the edge, Dante Fowler looks like a fit for Boye Mafe, and Seattle avoided paying the kind of money Cincinnati gave Mafe.
There’s even a little Raiders tie-in on Seattle’s roster. Dareke Young, if he can stay healthy, could end up helping Las Vegas.
Vowell described him as a big, surprisingly fast receiver who didn’t get many targets in Seattle but can catch and run when given the chance. If he sticks, special teams is where his value should show up most.
Vowell was equally upbeat about Andrew Janocko and Rick Dennison. Janocko, he said, is a tremendous hire and a close friend of Kubiak’s who will help him settle into the job. Dennison, meanwhile, is expected to serve as a steadying veteran presence for the head coach, in addition to coaching the offensive line.
The Seahawks’ biggest offseason moves, though, were the extensions. Seattle committed early to players it expects to keep winning with for a long time, extending right tackle Abraham Lucas last offseason and then edge rusher Derick Hall and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba this offseason. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon is almost certainly next.
So what can the Raiders actually target in Week 10? Vowell said a quality tight end can give Seattle trouble, and Las Vegas has one.
On the other side of the ball, an interior blitz can bother Sam Darnold. Still, he made it clear that Seattle’s defense was elite last season, and that was the real engine behind wins like the one over the Minnesota Vikings.
As for who wins the matchup, Vowell didn’t hide his lean. He said the Seahawks are still the team to beat, and when asked to choose between the quarterbacks, he went with the rookie.
“A: This might come back to bite me, but Mendoza. The only reason is that he is a rookie. He likely will be great (I personally hope so because most Seahawks fans probably want Kubiak to succeed), but Cousins is a smart veteran, and those are always difficult matchups.”
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