NFC West Rival Booking a Second Interview with Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak

If Klint Kubiak wants to become an NFL head coach this cycle, he’s going to have to take on a big fixer-upper project.

When the Cleveland Browns (a fixer-upper themselves) hired Todd Monken as their new coach Wednesday morning, there were only two franchises left coachless. The Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. Those two teams tied for fewest wins in the league in 2025, with three a piece, along with the Jets and Titans. Not exactly a smooth landing.

However, both teams have shown clear interest in Kubiak in the last few weeks, with some believing the Raiders have already internally decided that he’s their man. And now, the Cardinals seem to like what he might bring to the table. Per Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports, the Cardinals are going to conduct a second interview with him later this week.

The fact that they’re taking a second look at Kubiak indicates that they may not be settled on someone else yet, despite some indications that Rams Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur is their choice. The Cardinals have had LaFleur for two interviews already, but haven’t hired him despite his season in Los Angeles being over.

If Kubiak ends up being the pick in Arizona, he would have to coach against his former team twice a year going forward, and also find a way to compete in the toughest division in football. The Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams combined to go 38-13 in the regular season, and then combined for five playoff wins, with all losses coming against each other.

It’s a lot to ask for what would be a first time coach, particularly given the circumstances the team finds themselves in right now. The Cardinals are in firm quarterback limbo, with Kyler Murray having done nothing to instill confidence that he can be the guy as he turns 29 this offseason, but due over 52 million dollars in 2026, with nearly 55 million dead on a release.

Holding the third overall pick in the draft, which is considered weak at the quarterback position, there’s not much of an opportunity for Arizona to draft a new one unless they want to put their faith in Ty Simpson. Free agency has Daniel Jones coming off a major injury, a slew of aging vets (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson) and projects (Malik Willis, Zach Wilson).

Beyond the quarterback, the Cardinals are low on blue chippers. The foundation on offense is decent with Marvin Harrison Jr, Trey McBride, and Paris Johnson, but things are rough on defense. Walter Nolen III and Will Johnson show some promise, but have major injury red flags. Budda Baker is now on the wrong side of 30, as is Dalvin Tomlinson.

The Cardinals also currently lack cap space, not even top ten in current projected money to spend for this upcoming offseason, although that will likely be remedied by a series of cost-saving cuts. Still, those cuts will just create more holes that need to be filled. Throw in questions about ownership, and the Cardinals are an extremely hard job to take on.

But ultimately, the pull to be a head coach often overrides everything else, and if the offer is on the table I imagine Kubiak will be highly tempted to take it. It’s not like the Raiders situation is that much better, with even fewer young blue-chippers, although there’s something to be said for the significantly higher amount of cap space and draft capital.

The Seahawks only have to get through two more teams in order to retain the services of Kubiak in 2026. I’m sure they’re hoping that the Raiders and Cardinals make their hires before the end of Super Bowl LX, because if either spot remains open by then, it’s almost certainly because they’re waiting on Klint.

Is MHJ enough to get Kubiak to want to coach the Cardinals? — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) on the field during warm ups prior to a game against the Atlanta Falcons. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

More Seahawks on SI stories