Klint

Kubiak

The vision that Kubiak laid out to reporters about the Seattle 2025 offense on Tuesday looked to be very old-school Shanahan. Outside zone as a base with pin-and-pull, inside zone, and some other concepts sprinkled in as they look to establish the run. Seattle currently doesn’t have a fullback on the roster. If the offensive line can improve in 2025, this could mean big things for Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Given how Seattle’s line played last year, they could improve quite a bit and still be below-average.

Seattle had interviewed Kubiak twice, along with Lions run-game coordinator Hank Fraley (who withdrew from consideration on Friday), Vikings offensive assistant Grant Udinski, and Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. Kubiak had also interviewed with the Browns before they handed their job to in-house passing game coordinator Tommy Rees, and was rumored to be part of the search to replace Bobby Slowik in Houston. Kubiak had a hot start in New Orleans last year but was soon anchored with Spencer Rattler as it was impossible for the Saints to keep Derek Carr healthy last season. The Shanaclan gains another foothold in the NFC West, this time in the pacific northwest. Step one for Kubiak will be fixing Seattle’s dreadful offensive line.

Kubiak is still under contract with the Saints but is a holdover from the now-defunct Dennis Allen regime. Kubiak has been granted permission to speak with other teams while the Saints figure out who their next head coach will be, and has already met with the Browns and Seahawks. He clearly left an impression with the Seahawks during their first sit down, and will now have a chance to further lay out his plans to fix an offense that ranked 18th in EPA per play and 15th in offensive success rate. Head coach Mike Macdonald is expected to seek out a coordinator who will run a more balanced attack after former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb stayed committed to the pass-heavy ways that made him one of the top offensive coaches at the college level.

The Saints are allowing Kubiak to speak with other teams as they continue to work through their head coaching interviews. The son of long-time offensive coordinator and Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak joined the Saints last offseason after working as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023. In his lone season with the Saints, Kubiak’s offense started hot with back-to-back 40 point outings, but wound up finishing 24th in points scored and 21st in total yards. The team’s collapse was undoubtedly impacted by the injuries to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, who combined to miss 20 games this season, while Derek Carr missed seven games of his own due to a number of injuries. Long viewed as an up-and-coming offensive mind, Kubiak the Seahawks and Browns both appear willing to give him a mulligan for 2024. Kubiak will almost certainly get another shot as a play-caller in the near future, even if it’s not in 2025.

The Seahawks are beginning anew with the offense, having fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after his first season coaching in the NFL. Kubiak’s successes and failures are difficult to determine, given the Saints’ poor 2024 health but early-season signs were promising. Kubiak smartly employs motion pre-snap though he tends to run a slower-than-normal offensive pace. Fowler also notes that Kubiak “could be a player” for the Browns’ vacant offensive coordinator position.

Kubiak has been linked to the Saints for nearly two weeks. A formal announcement of his hiring was largely dependent on the 49ers’ postseason run coming to an end. Kubiak is the son of long-time offensive coordinator/head coach Gary Kubiak, who won a Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos during the 2015 season. Kubiak, 36, spent one season as the Vikings offensive coordinator in 2021 and spent the last two seasons with the Broncos and 49ers as their passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Saints finished ninth in points per game last season and have a stud receiver in Chris Olave. However, they’re also a cap-strapped team that’s in need of several playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Alvin Kamara will be 29 at the start of next season and looked a step slower than what we’ve seen in recent years, and the Saints’ tight ends offer little to no upside. With Derek Carr expected to be on the roster each of the next two seasons, finding ways to bolster the talent around him will be critical for Kubiak in 2024.

Kubiak can’t put pen to paper until after the Super Bowl, but the Saints appear ready to welcome him in the coming weeks. Kubiak last served as offensive coordinator for the Vikings in 2021 under head coach Mike Zimmer. The Vikings ranked 14th in points per game that season and 17th in EPA per play. Despite having Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson on the roster, the Vikings ranked in the lower half of the league in early-down pass rate and pass rate over expected, but some of that can likely be blamed on Zimmer, who has long been a fan of establishing the run. Kubiak was interviewed for the Bears offensive coordinator role earlier this offseason and was also rumored to be on the Commanders’ radar, but he appears to be off the market. He’ll have his work cut out for him with the cap-strapped Saints, who will be running it back with Derek Carr in 2024 and perhaps 2025.

The son of longtime offensive coordinator and head coach Gary Kubiak, Klint could get his shot at the Saints OC gig after Shane Waldron turned down New Orleans in favor of the Bears. Kubiak has worked closely with Brock Purdy this season. Purdy led the NFL in EPA per drop back in the QB-friendly Shanahan offense. The Saints are also interviewing Niners QB coach Brian Griese, who has been with San Francisco for two seasons. The Saints OC job isn’t the most attractive with head coach Dennis Allen’s future uncertain beyond the 2024 season.

Kubiak is the son of long-time offensive coordinator/head coach Gary Kubiak, who led the Broncos to a championship in Super Bowl 50. Klint Kubiak was an offensive assistant on the Broncos staff that season and has since spent time with the Vikings and San Francisco 49ers as a quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator, and passing game coordinator. His knowledge of Kyle Shanahan’s offensive schemes and knack for creating space for his wide receivers to roam and create after the catch could make him an enticing coordinator for the Bears. Whether they commit to Justin Fields for next season or opt to select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft, the Bears and head coach, Matt Eberflus will be in desperate need of an offensive spark in 2024.

Whether that “top role” is offensive coordinator or passing-game coordinator is unclear. Shanny went without an OC in 2022 after Mike McDaniel departed for the Dolphins. Bobby Slowik was the passing-game coordinator but has since accepted Houston’s coordinator gig. Gary’s son, Klint served as the Vikings’ OC in 2021 and is obviously well-versed in the Shanahan/Kubiak system. It should be a seamless transition for both parties, but Shanahan will obviously remain the 49ers’ play-caller.