INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek never uttered the name Fernando Mendoza while speaking at the NFL's annual scouting combine Tuesday.
He didn't need to.
As Spytek ran through the list of traits he needs in a franchise quarterback — humility, selflessness, a relentless student of the game, capable of setting the tone in the locker room — it seemed he was using the same words and phrases so often used to describe Mendoza
by his college teammates during last season's Heisman Trophy campaign.
And for the team holding the No. 1 pick in April's NFL draft, selecting Mendoza only seems natural.
"It's such a hard game, your competitive spirit has to run really high,” Spytek said. “You've got to be willing to play through, you know, tough circumstances and to me, it always goes back to the love of the game. The guys that truly love football, they love to practice, they love to prepare, they love to watch film, they love to play hurt, so I think those things are kind of uncompromising.”
Mendoza showed all that and more in his only season at Indiana. He demonstrated his moxie with an incredible last-minute throw to beat Penn State; missed only one play of the Big Ten championship game after getting injured on his first throw; and twisted his way into the end zone for the decisive score in the national championship game at Miami.
The Raiders certainly could use some of that magic after using 10 different starting quarterbacks over the past four seasons. They haven't had a clear-cut franchise quarterback since Derek Carr was released in February 2023.
Geno Smith was supposed to fill the void after being acquired in a trade last offseason, but a 10-game losing streak sent the Raiders spiraling to a 3-14 mark, putting Smith's future with the franchise in peril.
Now, Las Vegas is looking for a fresh start.
The Raiders fired coach Pete Carroll and replaced him with Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for Super Bowl champion Seattle, and now have a chance to find the perfect pairing for running back Ashton Jeanty, last year's first-round pick.
"I think you want to limit the amount of pressure you have on that guy from the start,” Spytek said. “I'm not necessarily in favor of running him out there right away, either. So, you know, having another quality player that can play the quarterback position could help. You have a young quarterback, you want to have a great offensive line, a run game, all the things that can like really limit his chances to have him really get killed — and a great defense, too.”
The Raiders believe the centerpiece of their defense will continue to be Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has been the subject of trade speculation this offseason. Spytek said Tuesday he speaks routinely with Crosby as he rehabs at team headquarters and that he expects Crosby to be in a Vegas uniform next fall.
But will he be joined by Mendoza, who led what had been the losing-est program in FBS history to Indiana's first national championship in a season filled with highlights?
While Spytek said he will listen to trade offers and won't put need ahead of value, it sure seems like Mendoza would be the perfect match for Las Vegas — right down to Mendoza's Boston roots and his embrace of Raiders co-owner Tom Brady, who played for both the Patriots and in Florida, where Mendoza attended high school.
“I think whoever is playing quarterback for the Raiders has a unique opportunity to learn from the best,” Spytek said. “You know, Tom's got a lot of humility to him, and just because he did it a certain way, he doesn't have expectations that you do it that way. too. But there are some things he's uncompromising on, and I think that whoever the quarterback is for the Raiders, I think Tom is a great resource.”
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