The wait is over. The Las Vegas Raiders have now secured its entire rookie draft class by signing No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
It was a long process since the Raiders drafted the Heisman Trophy winner from Indiana on April 23. There was media speculation that he remained unsigned because of details with secondary contract language such as guarantee payout scheduling, offset language and voiding rules.
NFL Media reported he signed a four-year, $57.27 million fully guaranteed contract. The team
hold a fifth-year option that will be determined in the spring of 2029. Mendoza’s signing comes on the day the Raiders’ rookies and select veterans report to training camp. The first full-squad practice is Wednesday.
With Mendoza signed, the focus turns to when he will play. Recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media raised some eyebrows about the plan for Mendoza this season.
According to Rapoport, the team’s ideal plan for the No. 1 overall draft pick is to keep him on the shelf for his entire rookie season. Rapoport said the team would like to see veteran Kirk Cousins, who was signed this offseason and who will turn 38 next month, play for the entire season.
The Raiders have yet to publicly say what their plan is other than saying they do, indeed, have a quarterback plan. Both Las Vegas general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak have said they would like to see rookie quarterbacks, in general, sit and learn in an ideal world. But an exact timeline for Mendoza hasn’t been announced.
So, Rapoport’s report is interesting to suggest that Raiders would rather not insert Mendoza in the lineup at all in 2026.
Time will what will happen, but the plan can proceed with Mendoza now officially in the fold.
