Klint Kubiak already has the opportunity to correct a mistake Pete Carroll made with the Raiders, and he’s not even the head coach yet
The Raiders can hire an elite offensive line coach.
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire their new head coach following the Super Bowl. Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator, will focus on building his Raiders staff after facing the New England Patriots in the big game.
Kubiak should first target offensive line expert John Benton. The Raiders have long struggled up front, a challenge the Seahawks recently overcame to protect Sam Darnold. The Raiders want similar success for their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.
The issue with this last season is that former Raiders head coach Pete Carroll made a huge mistake when he hired his staff. He hired his son, Brennen Carroll, as the offensive line coach. Well, Brennen was terrible, as was the offensive line. Getting a great OL coach in right away, and even promoting him to OC if you have to, would be the first great step to getting a great staff around an inexperienced head coach.
So, who is John Benton? A to Z Sports’ AJ Schulte offers more insight into Benton’s background.
Who is John Benton?
Benton is among the NFL’s most respected offensive line coaches, making him a top candidate to join Kubiak in Las Vegas. He’s worked with the Kubiak family since 2006 and helped produce elite rushing teams. Before 2025, Kubiak said, “If our identity is going to be a running football team, it starts with John Benton.” Seattle’s strong ground game this year validated that approach.
Benton is widely regarded as one of the top tutors of outside zone in the NFL, which makes sense given his history with the Kubiaks and Shanahans over his career. Perhaps more important than that, however, has been his ability to develop consistently strong pass-protecting units, something that might be the most important trait the Raiders are looking for. In 2024, Seattle gave up an incredulous 54 sacks, the second-most in franchise history. This season? That total was sliced in half to just 27, the third-fewest total in franchise history, with largely the same personnel. Prior to 2025, Seattle had given up 40-plus sacks in 11 of the previous 12 seasons.
He should be Kubiak’s priority number-one addition if he wants his tenure with the Raiders to get off to a strong start.
Las Vegas Raiders News
Latest NFL news surrounding head coaching candidates shows the cat is out of the bag for the Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders could be closing in on Klint Kubiak.
