Fernando Mendoza isn't a Las Vegas Raider yet. Heck, a universe exists where John Spytek and Klint Kubiak decide to go a different direction, and the Silver and Black trade back from the No. 1 pick. We probably shouldn't count our chickens before they hatch.
At the same time, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't think that the Raiders will take the Indiana quarterback when they're on the clock first in April. Their hiring of a young, offensive-minded head coach further signaled that they are preparing to insert a rookie quarterback.
Now, Kubiak, for as bright an offensive mind as he is, doesn't have a lot of experience working directly with quarterbacks. Hiring a handful of coaches who can oversee Mendoza's development at the position is paramount. Luckily, the Raiders just hired Andrew Janocko as their offensive coordinator.
Raiders' Andrew Janocko hire could be big for Fernando Mendoza's development
Janocko has tons of familiarity with Kubiak, but more importantly, he has plenty of experience playing quarterback and coaching the position. He played Division I quarterback at Pittsburgh for four years before becoming a coach and primarily working with signal-callers.
After several years of working his way through the ranks, Janocko settled in as a quarterbacks coach in 2021 with the Minnesota Vikings before a two-year stint in the same role with the Chicago Bears, and then one-year stints with the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks in the same capacity.
Kirk Cousins had the best statistical output of his career when Janocko was the Vikings' quarterbacks coach, throwing for 4,221 yards and 33 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions. Then, he took that flare to the Bears.
In Chicago, Janocko worked with Justin Fields, who improved his completion percentage, passing yards and touchdown numbers across two seasons. To date, Fields' two years with Janocko are his best in the NFL, namely the 2022 campaign, where he finished ninth in MVP voting.
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Janocko was dealt a tough hand in 2024 with the Saints, as Derek Carr was injured for almost half of the season. Still, Carr threw for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions in a shortened 10-game campaign. Janocko then worked his magic in Seattle.
Sam Darnold came to the Seahawks after being discarded by Minnesota and earned Pro Bowl honors once again. Oh, and Darnold became a Super Bowl-winning quarterback under Janocko and Kubiak. Now, can all of these successes be attributed to Janocko? Certainly not.
But if the Raiders are planning on drafting a quarterback into the Kubiak system, Janocko can clearly develop players at the position. Or, at the very least, not hinder them. Janocko has also worked with a wide variety of quarterbacks, so he should have no issue adjusting to Mendoza's specific play style.
Las Vegas will also hire a quarterbacks coach, and the common name being floated is Jordan Traylor. But it is critical to have multiple voices in the building who are well-versed in helping quarterbacks. Assistant head coach Mike McCoy has been a quarterbacks coach at several junctures in his career.
Mendoza, for as successful a college career as he had, will need all the help that he can get as he makes the ultimate transition to the NFL level. Janocko, at least on paper, looks like a great hire from the perspective of both his history with Kubiak and his potential to develop Mendoza.