The Las Vegas Raiders have revamped their coaching staff this offseason with several moves that should get the fanbase excited for the upcoming season. While the roster hardly has much talent as things stand, that should change in the coming months.
General manager John Spytek is projected to be armed with close to $100 million in cap space and 10 draft picks to continue building the roster with his vision. Of course, it is widely expected that Fernando Mendoza will be the No. 1 overall selection.
That alone should be enough to get fans on board with the direction of the franchise, as he would be the first quarterback the Raiders have taken in the first round since selecting JaMarcus Russell with the top pick back in 2007.
While popular analyst Colin Cowherd is impressed with Mendoza as a prospect, he missed the mark with his recent comments on the expected pairing between Las Vegas and Mendoza, leaving out several key factors in this expected upcoming partnership.
Colin Cowherd's comments on the Raiders and Fernando Mendoza lack proper context
The Raiders have shown that developing Mendoza is their top priority, as evidenced by hiring head coach Klint Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko. Still, Cowherd, who recently claimed that Mendoza will have Matt Ryan's career "plus 30%," does not believe Las Vegas is a good fit.
He noted that he is not on board with the pairing during the latest episode of The Herd.
“I don't worry about Fernando Mendoza. I worry about the Raiders as his parent in this league," Cowherd explained. "Bad O-line. Even if Klint Kubiak’s a good coach, he'll be, probably, the fourth-best coach in his division. Ownership is impulsive; it’s ridiculously impatient. I don't have a Mendoza issue. I have a Mendoza to the Raiders issue.”
Using the previous comparison he had for Mendoza, the Atlanta Falcons were one of the worst teams in the NFL after losing Michael Vick for the 2007 season. They selected Matt Ryan third overall and immediately went 11-5 and reached the postseason in his rookie year. Things can change fast.
Furthermore, Cowherd acknowledged that quarterbacks like Caleb Williams and Trevor Lawrence were able to turn their careers around under the right head coach. Mendoza will have a respected offensive mind in Kubiak, and Janocko has proven he can get the most out of his quarterbacks.
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It has also been nearly 20 years since the Raiders drafted a first-round quarterback, making it impossible to know how the franchise would do developing one. There have been far too many regime changes since Russell was in Silver and Black, so it's an unfair thing to assess.
The current coaching staff, which consists of a head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator who are all under the age of 40, shows that the ownership group is willing to give them time to grow. This is not the same old impatient front office that Cowherd is referring to.
It should also be noted that the ownership group now has different prominent voices. It is Tom Brady and John Spytek's team, on the football side at least, not Mark Davis'. And while Brady and Co. whiffed on the Pete Carroll hire, they were right to quickly admit their mistake and move on.
Before the 2025 season, it would have been easy to label Ben Johnson as the worst coach in the NFC North, as he had not proven anything compared to his peers. The same could have been said of Liam Coen. But after just one year, both are viewed among the top young head coaches in the league.
It is too early to judge Kubiak or write him off, simply because of the coaching talent in his division. Similarly, it is far too early to suggest that Mendoza going to the Raiders is an issue, particularly without knowing how the rest of the roster will look in 2026. Cowherd left out some key, key points.