The Raiders’ rookie contract situation with Fernando Mendoza has become a small talking point, but the concern level around the team appears low.
The holdup, according to several reports, likely centers on the signing bonus and the timing of when that money will be paid out. In recent years, the Raiders have handled the bonus structure for their first-round picks in a specific way: 77.5 percent within 15 days of the contract being signed, then another 12.5 percent in September and the final 10 percent in October.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers addressed the situation on Monday and said he expects it to be sorted out by the end of the month.
“The Raiders always operate differently, right? So 77.5 percent within the 15 days of signing contract for Jeanty, Bowers and Wilson, which are the last three first round picks for the Silver and Black.
So that’s all it comes down to. It just comes down to when that signing bonus is going to get paid,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast.
“The payment of the signing bonus is the hold up. So nothing I don’t think to get too concerned about.
It’s something that’s obviously going to get done sooner rather than later. And even if he ends up having to settle for 77.5 percent within the first 15 days of the signing of the contract, that’s not too bad of a signing bonus.
And then obviously the rest of it will get paid sooner rather than later. I’m assuming that this is going to happen and get done, taken care of really, I think, before training camp opens up.”
With the NFL’s rookie wage scale in place, first-year holdouts are now rare, and the chances of Mendoza missing time are viewed as extremely slim.
So while Mendoza still hasn’t signed, it’s being treated more as a conversation point than a real alarm bell for Raiders fans.
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