Raiders’ new coach Klint Kubiak testifies: ‘I’m sitting here, right here, because of Jesus’

The Las Vegas Raiders’ new coach is a man who says the teachings of Jesus are central to his coaching philosophy.

The Raiders on Tuesday introduced Klint Kubiak as head coach, two days after the 38-year-old helped the Seattle Seahawks’ offense roll to a 29-13 victory over New England in Super Bowl LX in his role as offensive coordinator.

It is his first job as a head coach following assistant stints with five other franchises.

He opened the news conference by referencing his faith.

“God had a plan for this day that I could never have seen,” Kubiak said before he took any questions. “And I’m just grateful.”

Kubiak has enjoyed a rapid rise in the NFL ranks. He landed his first job in 2013 as an NFL assistant in Minnesota, where he also earned his first offensive coordinator opportunity in 2021. He held the same role with two more franchises – first in New Orleans and then in Seattle – before taking over as the Raiders’ head coach. His background is on the offensive side of the ball. He played college football as a defender at Colorado State.

He is widely viewed as one of the NFL’s most committed Christians, and that reputation surfaced Tuesday when a reporter noted that former players have described him as trustworthy because his faith is such a bedrock. The same reporter asked how Kubiak’s faith impacts his coaching.

“It’s very, very simple,” Kubiak said. “… I see my identity as a child of God. I know that I’m sitting here, right here, because of Jesus Christ. And it wasn’t always that way. I’ve had some great mentors that helped me know the Gospels better.

“My goal is to live out the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes and let those values show through in my coaching,” he added. “And I fall short of that a lot, but I always go back to … the building blocks, which is, to me, the Bible.”

Kubiak’s faith also made headlines during the days leading up to the Super Bowl, when Sports Spectrum reported that he had gifted every player and coach a Bible for Christmas. Kubiak described it as the “most important” gift he could have given.

“You’re trying to find Christmas gifts for guys every year to show them that you love them – and what better gift than that?” Kubiak said.

Leslie Frazier, Seattle’s assistant head coach, said the gift left a lasting impression.

“You’re talking about touching people across our team? That is so unique and so rare,” Frazier told Sports Spectrum. “It meant a lot. It meant a lot to everybody in our building, just that he would do that. His whole point of it was he wanted everybody to be able to find out what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the starting point, having a Bible. No one should walk away from this building without having a Bible.”

Patience is likely needed in Las Vegas. The Raiders have posted losing records in four straight seasons and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2021. In fact, they’ve made just two postseason appearances in the past 23 years.