Las Vegas Raiders fans began looking at the 2026 quarterback class way too early last season. Finding a signal-caller of the future was always going to be on the docket in the next year or two, but the crumbling campaign that was 2025 for the Silver and Black made the need more pressing.
Instead of finding an understudy for Geno Smith or a guy that the coaching staff can develop over a few years, the Raiders needed a guy capable of starting on Day 1, whether he actually did or not. And as the 2026 NFL Draft chips continued to fall, Fernando Mendoza was the only option.
That makes it sound like Las Vegas had to take Mendoza, or that they were stuck with him, but that is not the case at all. The Indiana product is an elite prospect and the perfect quarterback for the Raiders at the perfect time. Fans felt that way, and clearly, the organization did as well.
And Mendoza just revealed that we weren't alone in thinking that this was a match made in heaven.
Fernando Mendoza apparently always knew Las Vegas Raiders were best fit for him
It wasn't long after his selection became official that Mendoza was speaking with local Las Vegas reporters virtually. When asked about the pre-draft process and whether or not he felt that the Raiders were a good fit for him, he let the fanbase know that he felt it, too.
"Well, whatever team was going to select me would be a good fit. But deep down in my heart, I knew the Raiders are most likely going to be the best fit because of the coaching staff," Mendoza said. "I think it really fits my play style great because of all the great teammates on offense and defense. They're stacked because of the great ownership. Whether it's Mr. Davis, Mr. Brady. I mean, what's a better situation to walk into? So, I think all the stars are aligning here, and I'm just very blessed to be in this position."
Now, Mendoza is as authentic as they come, so fans should fully believe him when he says that he always felt the Raiders were a great landing spot for him. And he is absolutely correct, as Las Vegas has essentially built this team with his best interest in mind this offseason.
John Spytek went out and got an incredible center for him in Tyler Linderbaum and added a pass-catcher in Jalen Nailor, whose skill set will be complementary to Mendoza's. Surely, Spytek will add more weapons or protectors for him with his nine remaining picks in the 2026 NFL Draft as well.
In addition to Raiders quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan having a relationship with the brother of Mendoza's college head coach, ESPN's Ryan McFadden provided an interesting tidbit as well about the connection between Mendoza's college offensive coordinator and Andrew Janocko in Las Vegas.
"Interesting note: Mendoza's OC at Indiana (Mike Shanahan) played with his new OC with the Raiders (Andrew Janocko) in college at Pitt. Shanahan was at WR while Janocko was a backup QB and holder on special teams."
Whether it was a play style fit, a comfortability fit, or the most well-behaved quarterback in the NFL coming to Sin City, Mendoza is correct that the stars aligned for him to become a Raider. The fanbase is just glad to know that they weren't crazy for thinking the same thing over the last few months.
Add us as a preferred source on Google