The Raiders landed the kind of draft break teams dream about when they only win three games: the No. 1 overall pick, and a class with a clear headliner at the top. Fernando Mendoza was the prize, and his arrival gives Las Vegas a quarterback with a résumé that already looks heavy for a rookie - a Heisman Trophy, an undefeated season at Indiana, and a national title run.
That’s why the conversation around him has already turned to timing. Doug Pederson made his stance plain: "I think you put him on the field Day 1." Pederson, who once guided the Philadelphia Eagles to that improbable Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots, carries enough credibility that his opinion lands with real force.
There was a point when the idea of sitting Mendoza didn’t make much sense to me either. Rookie quarterbacks learn by playing, by feeling the speed of the league and dealing with the consequences in real time. Watching another quarterback throw an interception teaches only so much; making that mistake yourself is what leaves a mark.
That was also why the Raiders’ decision to sign Kirk Cousins initially didn’t sit right with me. But the longer this offseason has gone on, the more the logic has sharpened. Las Vegas is doing the smart thing by not throwing Mendoza straight into the fire.
The danger isn’t just early struggles. It’s the possibility that a rough rookie season could build the wrong habits and leave a lasting dent in his development. Mendoza is supposed to be the future in Las Vegas, and teams have seen talented prospects get knocked off course before they ever really get going.
Mendoza’s composure is one of his best traits, but the NFL asks something different from a quarterback mentally than college does. The Raiders have also upgraded the group around him, so a start later in his rookie year wouldn’t be a surprise.
For now, though, the cleaner path looks like this: let him begin on the bench, absorb the game from behind the scenes, and only hand him the offense when the timing is right. Las Vegas has given itself a strong setup for a young quarterback, and Tom Brady’s presence as a minority owner only adds to that picture.
In Other News...
Raiders Could Finally Have A Real Shot At A True No. 1
The Raiders still do not have a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, and that reality has kept the conversation alive about when they might finally take a big swing at the position. If no current pass catcher steps forward by 2026, Las Vegas could be in the market for a major addition in the 2027 offseason, with Ohio State standout Jeremiah Smith already viewed as a likely top receiver in that draft and a natural fit for what the offense wants to do.
There is also the veteran route to consider, even if it is only in the realm of speculation for now. Justin Jefferson has been floated as a possible name to watch if Minnesotas situation pushes him toward change, and the idea of him landing in Las Vegas would instantly reshape the outlook for a receiver room that has been searching for a true alpha. For the Raiders, it is the kind of possibility that keeps the door open on a much bigger move than the one they are currently able to make. [Read more 🡒]
Klint Kubiaks QB Competition Message Leaves Raiders Fans Wanting More
Klint Kubiak spent part of his latest comments trying to strike a careful balance in the Raiders quarterback competition, backing both Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins without tipping his hand too far in either direction. He pointed to Cousins final four games in Atlanta last season as evidence the veteran can still help, while also saying Mendoza has gotten a ton better and has been diligent, even if he stopped well short of laying out exactly how that progress will show up once the competition really starts.
The more Kubiak talked, the more he sounded like a coach determined to keep the room on a pure merit basis and avoid creating any extra layers of responsibility around it. Asked about mentorship and the challenges that come with moving into the head coaching role, he stayed broad, leaning on the scouting staff and the infrastructure around him rather than naming a specific blind spot, which leaves the Raiders with a familiar offseason question still hanging in the air: how this competition is supposed to unfold, and what kind of support system will actually shape it. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Fans May Need To Rethink Patrick Graham After This
Patrick Grahams run as the Raiders defensive coordinator is getting a fresh look now that he has moved on to a new opportunity in Pittsburgh. For Las Vegas fans, the debate around his tenure has always been a little more complicated than the raw results, because the defense was operating within a larger team-building approach that did not always match up with the kind of investment other contenders made on that side of the ball.
The Steelers are giving Graham a different kind of setup, one that comes with a more talented and more expensive defensive roster than he had in Las Vegas. That matters because it gives him a chance to show what his scheme can do with better pieces around it, and it also leaves Raiders fans wondering how much of the criticism he took here was really about coaching and how much was about the circumstances he inherited. [Read more 🡒]