The Athletic Football Show: One Last Ride on This Year's Coaching Carousel

Date: February 12, 2026
Hosts: Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen, Dana

Episode Overview

This episode is a thorough recap and analysis of the final moves in the NFL's 2025-26 coaching cycle. The hosts take a last, detailed look at late-breaking head coach, coordinator, and GM hires and fires—going deep on the logic, context, and implications of these changes before they fully pivot to offseason and draft coverage. Key storylines include the Raiders hiring Clint Kubiak, the Cardinals pivot to Mike LaFleur, broader trends in offensive coaching hires, the lack of progress on Black head coaching representation, and the late firing of Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Super Bowl Recap & San Francisco As a Host City

[02:25 – 07:52]

• The hosts reconnect after Super Bowl week in San Francisco, describing post-game exhaustion and travel logistics.
• General consensus: San Francisco is a beautiful American city with tremendous culture, food, and scenery—but Levi’s Stadium's location far outside the city center is a major downside for hosting big events.

"San Francisco is like, one of the gems of America as a city. It is truly one of the great American cities. It is not a good Super Bowl city...I do not think it sets up well."
— Robert Mays, [05:16]

• Discussion on the poor stadium design and its infamous sun-drenched seating:

"There was a section of the afternoon...you're just sitting there and it feels like you're 10ft from the sun. We were all holding up our roster cards to block the sun during an NFL game. Who built this place? They should be in jail."
— Robert Mays, [05:49]

• San Francisco's unique charm as a Super Bowl host, but the current logistics undermine the overall experience.

Raiders Hire Clint Kubiak as Head Coach

[07:52 – 26:17]

• Big News: Clint Kubiak (former Seahawks OC) hired as Raiders head coach.
• Why this hire? Kubiak is the first high-level assistant from a Super Bowl team to get the Raiders’ top job since the disastrous Mike Shanahan stint in 1989.

"I just think it speaks to the relative attractiveness of the Raiders job compared to what it's been...you have the number one pick, you're going to be able to take a quarterback that most people would be excited to work with."
— Dana, [09:50]

• Raiders vs. Cardinals Jobs:
  • Raiders' access to the #1 pick and a quarterback (Fernando Mendoza) makes the job uniquely appealing.
  • The Cardinals might have a stronger overall roster, but their situation at QB and ownership is more uncertain.

"If you're taking the Raiders job right now, you have pretty clear cut access to a quarterback."
— Robert Mays, [10:44]

Kubiak’s Profile & Coaching Market Trends

• The 2026 hiring pool for offensive head coaches was unusually thin—few high-upside candidates, forcing teams to "cut corners" on experience or track record.

"Clint Kubiak's relative attractiveness in this cycle is a signal about the cycle itself. There just weren't that many offensive coaches in this group that people were banging down the door to get."
— Robert Mays, [13:36]

• Kubiak compares to last year's "hot OC" Liam Coen—a one-year wonder-type. The market is increasingly about betting on outlier ascents.

"You're going to have to start cutting corners and making compromises with some of these offensive candidates because the pool was a little bit thinner."
— Robert Mays, [16:06]

Raiders' Draft Outlook and System Fit

• The hosts agree: Fernando Mendoza is a lock as the Raiders' first overall pick (QB from Indiana).
  • Mendoza is seen as accurate, gritty, mobile.
  • Kubiak familiar with building play-action offenses around non-elite QBs.

"Mendoza is going to be the first overall pick. We can just write that in stone right now. I'm very confident."
— Dana, [20:41]

• Kubiak may inherit a weak O-line, but with $90M cap space and the right O-line coach, even a modest system bump can make them passable.

"If they can do that with the Raiders...the offense could be fine. They probably still need a receiver, but it can be fine."
— Derek, [23:12]

• Brief speculation on defensive coordinator options (e.g., Carl Scott from the Seahawks staff).

Kubiak’s Leadership Personality

• Kubiak’s personality is reserved—unlike, say, Sean McVay—which raises “can he command the room?” questions.
• Not all successful coaches fit the “dynamic speaker” mold; referenced Matt LaFleur and Mike McDonald as examples of understated but effective leaders.

"You can build a great program without being somebody who's giving a lot of boisterous speeches...I think Clint is a pretty reserved guy."
— Robert Mays, [25:02]

Cardinals Hire Mike LaFleur As Head Coach

[30:45 – 39:14]

• The Cardinals, having been reportedly spurned by Kubiak, quickly hire Rams OC Mike LaFleur.
• LaFleur is a classic "offensive system" hire whose appeal is primarily his extended exposure to both the Shanahan and McVay trees.

“He was not that bad as the offensive play caller with the Jets...but I just didn’t watch those offenses and feel like they were hamstringing the quarterback or not using their talent correctly.”
— Derek, [31:45]

• Critiques emerge over process:
  • Is this a “who’s got the right title on the right staff” hire?
  • Is LaFleur just the generic Young Offensive Guy?
• Robert pushes back: three years as Rams OC is objectively strong “on paper,” and teams inevitably go for “offensive system” continuity.

“He was the Rams offensive coordinator for three years. Like he was the offensive coordinator of what we all agree to be like the most innovative and forward-thinking offense in the NFL.”
— Robert Mays, [34:27]

• Nathaniel Hackett is expected as OC—hosts note his success as non-play-calling OC in Green Bay, but acknowledge potential fan skepticism.
• Defensive coordinator candidates include Aubrey Pleasant (Rams).
• All agree the process feels uninspired—necessitated by the scarcity of top offensive play-callers.

The Offensive Head Coach Boom’s Diversity Problem

[39:14 – 53:36]

Statistical Breakdown

• 10 head coaching jobs filled this cycle: six offensive, three defensive, one CEO “generalist.”
• After the coaching carousel, the NFL is down to just three Black head coaches: Todd Bowles, DeMeco Ryans, and (precariously) Aaron Glenn.

The Bottleneck in the Offensive Pipeline

• While new rules require minority interviews for key offensive jobs, the “pipeline” is stalled:
  • 10 Black QB coaches/passing game coordinators in the league, but none promoted to play-calling OC or head coach this cycle.
  • Former players, especially Black coaches, struggle to move from position coach to coordinator or higher on offense—unlike white peers who get more chances without a playing pedigree.

“If you look at the way that the rules have changed...We have seen progress made there...The problem is none of them are becoming coordinators.”
— Robert Mays, [41:14]

“A lot of the white coaches and offensive coaches that get hired away, that is just not really a prerequisite.”
— Derek, [42:20]

Defensive-Side Disparities

• Pipeline is relatively better on defense, but questionable decision-making persists (e.g., Jeff Hafley getting a job over proven Black DCs like Patrick Graham).
• Many Black coaches are promoted to “assistant head coach” or “coordinator” in title but aren’t play-callers, which limits their exposure in the HC hiring process.

“There’s a significant problem with this line of thinking...We leave this coaching cycle with 10 hires with zero Black head coaches.”
— Robert Mays, [39:14]

• Importance of the Rooney Rule and diverse interview slates—yet, many teams begin with a fixation: “we want offense,” immediately limiting their candidate pool.

“If you set out with like an archetype in mind, then of course you’re going to land on that type of coach. Whereas there’s no shortage of qualified guys that you could be very impressed by if you got in a room with them.”
— Dana, [53:08]

The Firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as Vikings GM

[55:56 – 66:58]

• Adofo-Mensah is fired—curiously, as a minority GM and self-described analytics-forward leader, during the Senior Bowl week.
• Hosts see the move as an embarrassment-driven, reactionary decision after Sam Darnold’s playoff emergence and J.J. McCarthy’s disappointing rookie year.
• Analyze his tenure: Several questionable trades, missed draft picks, and “failure to go all-in" on analytics—his process lacked both conviction and football-culture authority.

“If you just look at his history...he was already pretty fireable just in terms of trading back and probably not getting as much value...If you just look at their moves...I just, I understand why he was fired just based purely off that.”
— Derek, [56:39]

• Discuss the extra scrutiny faced by non-traditional GMs—suspect that many will treat his firing as a referendum on “analytics” in football leadership, though the real issues were more nuanced.

“What’s frustrating to me is that a lot of people who are like traditionalists about who deserves to have these jobs are going to treat this as a win...there are two different elements of that to me that I think are worth digging into.”
— Robert Mays, [59:11]

• In leadership, GMs must command buy-in from a wide network inside the building—sometimes, traditional "football guy" presence matters even in modern, data-driven operations.

Rapid-Fire: Recent Coordinator Hires

[67:31 – 75:53]

• Giants hire Matt Nagy (OC): Seen as uninspired; Nagy not highly sought after by his prior employers.
• Ravens hire Declan Doyle (OC from Bears): Modern, exciting system move.
• Jets hire Frank Reich (OC): The staff feels extremely “pre-fired” and Reich’s star has dimmed since his last successful OC run.
• 49ers hire Raheem Morris (DC): Sense is it fits due to history with Shanahan, but questions arise on possible schematic shift given recent draft investments.
• Bills hire Jim Leonhard (DC): Consensus that it’s a home-run, giving a hot college and pro DC his shot.

Notable Quotes

• "It is a valid point that [LaFleur] was part of one of the most successful offenses in the league. But...do you have so much tunnel vision that you are ignoring either more qualified candidates, certainly, or a more outside-the-box candidate that could be equally good, if not better?"
  — Dana, [36:59]

• "You need to be willing to hire people, you need to have people in these hiring roles that are doing the hiring that are willing to make these decisions...you can put as many machinations in place as you want to."
  — Robert Mays, [44:54]

• "This is always going to be a sport where people need you to have a little bit of football guy in you...especially when you're the main decision-maker."
  — Robert Mays, [62:17]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Super Bowl city recap: [02:25 – 07:52]
• Clint Kubiak hire / Raiders QB future: [07:52 – 26:17]
• Mike LaFleur to Cardinals, offensive coach trends: [30:45 – 39:14]
• Coaching diversity & pipeline discussion: [39:14 – 53:36]
• Kwesi Adofo-Mensah firing analysis: [55:56 – 66:58]
• Coordinator hires hot-takes: [67:31 – 75:53]

Tone and Style

Conversational, expert-level, analytical but approachable. Blends big-picture context with granular team and league insight, peppered with humor and camaraderie among the hosts.

This episode is a deep-dive, candid, and nuanced examination of the NFL’s late coaching carousel, combining sharp Xs and Os analysis, league culture criticism, and personnel management discussion—for fans who care about more than just the box score.