SBLX notebook: Vegas-bound Klint Kubiak bids farewell to Seattle
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said on the field Sunday night he's headed to Las Vegas to become a head coach.
"We're going to enjoy tonight. You guys know I'm going to Las Vegas, and I'm fired up about it," Kubiak said. "Hell yeah, I'm going."
Kubiak spent the 2025 season with the Seahawks and played a vital role in quarterback Sam Darnold's success and connection with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks completed the postseason with zero turnovers, the first team in league history to win the Super Bowl and wrap up a multiple-game playoff run without a giveaway.
"He's a great coach," Darnold said. "He's a grinder. He's always working, always looking for an edge."
--There was one player at the center of the entire defensive gameplan for the Seattle Seahawks. All week, Seattle plotted to put as many grass stains as possible on the white uniform of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Packing pressure on Maye until the Patriots reached a breaking point was the plan, and Seattle went to the winning locker room after three takeaways by keeping the heat on New England's quarterback.
Perhaps no play epitomized the Seahawks' strategy -- and success -- than a first-and-10 play from the Seattle 44 with 4 1/2 minutes to play. Seattle safety Devon Witherspoon caught Maye by surprise on a blitz and, as the quarterback tried to quicky throw the ball away, hit Maye's arm. The ball flicked into the arms of linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who returned the interception 45 yards for a score. That made the score 29-7 and served as a poetic nail in the coffin.
"The plan was to get to Maye. Disrupt him. We knew -- he was their whole team," Nwosu said. "He was the MVP runner-up, could've been MVP. We knew if we get to him, their game plan was nothing."
--Patriots left tackle Will Campbell had a rough time with the depth and diversity of the Seattle defensive front. He allowed an easy sack to Derick Hall and NFL Next Gen Stats listed him as the responsible blocker on 16 total pressures, more than any offensive lineman allowed in any regular-season or playoff game this season.
While Maye answered questions postgame for more than 14 minutes, Campbell was the only member of the Patriots who declined interviews.
Maye paused and was choked-up several times seated at a podium for his postgame press conference and said the one thing he'll take away from the experience of his second NFL season is "I'm proud. So proud to do it with these guys."
--Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III said his dad, Kenneth Walker Jr., was in attendance on Sunday night. It was Walker Jr.'s first NFL game in-person because he doesn't like large crowds. Walker had 161 yards from scrimmage.
"It means a lot," Walker III said. "He comes to Seattle all the time. But he never comes to the games. He don't like crowds. This is his first NFL game and we won a Super Bowl. I know he's proud of me for real.
"My agent convinced him to come out here. I didn't think he would come. They ended up mic'ing him up and everything. He got out of his comfort zone."