For much of the 2025-26 NFL season, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was looking like he was well on his way to entering head coaching candidacy territory in the next offseason. He had Sam Darnold looking like an MVP, and the Seahawks offense looking like the league's most explosive group.
However, Kubiak's offense started to take a dark turn after their first matchup with NFC West division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, as did Darnold. Since that November 16th game (the Seahawks lost 21-19), Seattle hasn't been able to score in the first half, and not only did Darnold begin to fall off, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba's production decreased as well.
In the last six games, while all of them were wins (don't let the final scores fool you, though), Seattle's offense has looked nothing like it did in the first nine games, and Kubiak has to take much of the blame for it. Many critics will point to Darnold's decision-making, and that's fair. However, Kubiak's play-calling has also veered off-road, and it may hinder his near-future head-coaching chances.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak may have lost out on head coaching looks (for now)
There was always the possibility that had Kubiak coached a Seahawks offense that was full-on tilt, explosive, and turnover-free for the entirety of the 18-week season, he still may not have gotten a chance at a head coaching opportunity solely because he's only been in this role for one season in Seattle, and more experience was necessary.
Still, the way the Seahawks offense was buzzing through the first nine games, it was giving the NFL a glimpse of what Kubiak could bring to the table. More importantly, it was showcasing what he could get out of a second- or third-tier quarterback in Darnold. What could he get out of someone with a higher ceiling? Or a younger quarterback with high potential? These are valid questions, or at least, they were.
Kubiak's struggle to scheme together full offensive game plans for weeks now has maybe drowned out some of the noise that was circulating him, and while he's not the one throwing the interceptions or fumbling the balls, he is the one calling the plays and drawing up the game plans, and that's where Kubiak seems to have faltered of late.
Over the past six games, the Seahawks offense has scored only two touchdowns in the first half. Darnold has looked shaky in all six of those games, as well. But it's more so how the offense as a whole has looked, and how dull and stagnant they've appeared.
Now, give Kubiak credit for getting the offense into the right gear in the second halves, which has led to wins in all six of those games, but a few of those games, they could have, and even should have lost had they not had much better second halves.
Why has Kubiak struggled to call his offense in the first half the same way or better than in the second? The first half of the season showed that this wasn't a problem, but now it is, and it's certainly better to have this sort of problem earlier in the season rather than late, when the playoffs are just over the horizon.
Kubiak and Darnold do not appear to be on the same page right now, and yes, Darnold's turnovers have, without question, stalled the Seahawks' offense one time too many. That said, Kubiak, as the offensive coordinator, has to figure out ways to help curb Darnold's mistakes as well.
If one thing can be credited to Kubiak during this six-game stretch, it's his commitment to leaning on the rushing attack with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Both backs, especially Walker, have seen a significant uptick in their usage and production over the last several weeks, and it's helped Seattle win games.
What is covering Kubiak's back right now are the wins, and Seattle continues to win, as they are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC. He is a good offensive mind; that much is evident. However, if Kubiak's name was a potential candidate for offseason head coaching looks, how his offense has ended this season should quiet those conversations for at least another season.