Super Bowl stars blocking out Tom Brady as deal set to be finalised | NFL | Sport
Tom Brady has inserted himself into the Super Bowl drama (Image: Getty)
Seattle Seahawks players plan to shut out the pre-Super Bowl disruption created by Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed on Sunday, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak looks set to move to the Raiders as their 23rd permanent head coach.
However, with Seattle preparing to battle the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, no contract can be completed until after this weekend’s clash in California. Kubiak, who is the son of former NFL head coach and Super Bowl champion Gary Kubiak, would end the Raiders’ managerial hunt. Raiders general manager John Spytek and Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, have spoke with 15 prospective candidates to replace Pete Carroll, who was sacked following a catastrophic 2025 campaign which concluded with a 3-14 record.
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Although Kubiak appears to have already secured his passage to Las Vegas, players from his existing squad insist his impending exit will not distract them before their Super Bowl stand-off against the Patriots in Santa Clara. “I mean, the only thing we’ve got right now is that we’re trying to go out here and win this game,” Seahawks offensive lineman Josh Jones exclusively told Mirror US at Super Bowl Opening Night. “That’s pretty much the only message we got from everybody. Everybody’s all in and focused on going out there and winning the Super Bowl.”
Jones acknowledged the Seahawks are well-versed in handling external distractions, having consistently managed similar media speculation throughout the 2025 campaign. “It’s been something we’ve been doing all year,” he revealed.
“There’s been a lot of talk about us in the media, the beginning of the season, later in the season once we started winning. All that didn’t matter. Everything that mattered was the people in that building that were going to work with us each and every day.”
Whilst Kubiak has only been in Seattle for one season, after spells with four different franchises across four years, his influence was quickly apparent. During 2025, the Seahawks finished second in the NFL for points per game (29.2) and seventh for yards per game (350) having previously ranked 17th and 15th respectively in those categories last season.
Klint Kubiak looks set to be leaving the Seahawks after the Super Bowl (Image: Getty Images)
Considering Kubiak’s outstanding credentials and wealth of experience, numerous Seahawks players recognised it would merely be a question of when, not if, a head coaching vacancy would arise. Before arriving in Seattle, the 38-year-old previously worked as a Minnesota Vikings quality control coach, quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, alongside roles as Denver Broncos offensive assistant, passing coordinator and San Francisco 49ers passing coordinator.
Speaking about Kubiak, wide receiver Jake Bobo said: “At this point it is outside noise. I think everybody in the organization knows that one day he will have that opportunity. So whether those reports are true or not is what it is, but we’re just really thankful to have Klint on our side for right now, for one more game, and hopefully go win [a Super Bowl] for him.”
Leading up to the Big Game, Kubiak assured his Seahawks players a possible move to the Raiders wouldn’t interfere with his current duties in Seattle. “We all love him, and we’re very happy for him. We’re excited for him,” tight end Nick Kallerup said, sticking up for the Seahawks coach.
“What he told us, he’s like, ‘Hey, guys, I’ve been dealing with this for a while. All these distractions, I haven’t let it affect us yet, and it’s not going to affect us in the biggest game of the year.’ And we believe him and we trust him.”
