The Las Vegas Raiders hold the most coveted card in the 2026 NFL Draft - the No. 1 overall pick - and the buzz surrounding it is already reaching a fever pitch. According to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, one team that could be eyeing that top selection with serious intent is the New York Jets.
Their target? Quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
On The Rich Eisen Show, Jeremiah didn’t mince words about New York’s interest. “I 100 percent think they would [trade up for Mendoza],” he said. “With all the picks they’ve accumulated, I think the Jets would effort to try and pry that pick away from the Raiders.”
But here’s the catch - the Raiders don’t seem interested in budging. League insiders are hearing the same thing: Las Vegas is locked in on staying put and taking their guy. And if Mendoza is indeed the quarterback they’ve zeroed in on, it’s easy to understand why.
This is the most significant draft position the Raiders have held since 2014, when they landed both Khalil Mack and Derek Carr in the first two rounds. That draft helped define the franchise for years, and this one has the potential to do the same - especially with a quarterback like Mendoza on the board.
While the Raiders are unlikely to entertain trade offers, the next few months could still get interesting. Teams like the Jets, who appear to be in quarterback-hunting mode, may put together aggressive packages to test Vegas’ resolve.
Just last year, the Titans reportedly turned down a hefty offer - two first-round picks and multiple Day 2 selections - for the rights to draft Cam Ward. That decision worked out for the Giants, who were the team making that offer.
They ended up with Jaxson Dart and linebacker Abdul Carter instead, thanks to Tennessee holding firm. With Dart showing early flashes of franchise potential, New York might have stumbled into a better long-term outcome than they originally planned for.
As for the Raiders, they weren’t in a position to draft Ward or Dart in 2025. And internally, there was some division over who the quarterback of the future should be. Former GM Tom Telesco reportedly had a deep admiration for Dart - the kind of admiration that had him buying a ticket and sitting anonymously in the stands at the Gator Bowl just to get one more live look at the Ole Miss quarterback.
That’s not your everyday scouting trip. That’s conviction.
Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal shared that story and added more context around the internal dynamics at the time. According to him, if Telesco and former head coach Antonio Pierce had remained in power, Dart might’ve been the guy - maybe not at the top of the draft, but certainly somewhere in the Raiders’ plans.
With both Telesco and Pierce out and Tom Brady and John Spytek now leading the front office, the draft board has shifted. Dart didn’t appear to be as high a priority under the new regime. Instead, all signs point to Mendoza as the top target - and with the No. 1 pick in hand, the Raiders are in full control.
Of course, the name Shedeur Sanders has also been floated in connection to the Raiders. Bonsignore noted that if Dart wasn’t available, Sanders could’ve been the fallback plan.
But that’s all hypothetical now. The Raiders have the first pick, a clean slate, and a chance to take the quarterback they believe can lead them into a new era.
And while teams like the Jets may be willing to throw the kitchen sink to move up, the early word is that Vegas isn’t answering the door.