The Las Vegas Raiders were an abhorrently bad football team during the 2025 NFL season. It was painful for this loyal fanbase to endure yet another disappointing campaign, especially after trading for veteran quarterback Geno Smith and promises being made by new head coach Pete Carroll.
But a 3-14 season, which included 10 blowout losses, a 10-game losing streak and only two meaningful victories, was a necessary evil. Bottoming out was the best thing that could have happened to this franchise, as they were finally forced to hit the reset button and fully rebuild.
No more Band-Aids at quarterback. No more settling in the coaching cycle. Las Vegas has the No. 1 pick at its disposal, as well as tons of draft capital and salary cap space. Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak was clearly intrigued by the Raiders, as he will reportedly become the team's next head coach.
Vincent Bonsignore says Raiders have Fernando Mendoza to thank for Klint Kubiak
Draft capital and financial flexibility were not the main reasons why Kubiak wanted to come to Las Vegas, however. The California Post's Vincent Bonsignore spoke on Raider Nation Radio on Monday morning about why Fernando Mendoza was the key to landing Kubiak in this hiring cycle.
"It doesn’t end with the quarterback, but it certainly starts with the quarterback,” Bonsignore said. "We’re not having this conversation right now with Klint Kubiak unless Fernando Mendoza was in their crosshairs. If they didn’t have access to Fernando Mendoza and that number one pick, I'm gonna sit here, and I could confidently say that Klint Kubiak would not be agreeing to becoming the head coach of the Raiders."
Losing games to other bad teams like the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants wasn't necessarily enjoyable when it was happening. But it led the Raiders to Mendoza, the likely No. 1 pick in April, and, as a tentacle of that, to coach Kubiak.
RELATED: Raiders fans are hoping door just closed on key assistant following Pat Graham
Bonsignore went on about why Las Vegas has Mendoza and the top overall selection to thank for landing Kubiak. He compared the Raiders' current situation to last year's, when they whiffed on now-Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
“It’s what we talked about, why it was so important to finish with that top pick. Because all of a sudden, that opens up your horizons on who you can really and realistically go target as your head coach," Bonsignore said. "The Raiders tried to do that last year, without a real quarterback in place. With Ben Johnson, ‘Alright, I got Caleb Williams over here. Who do you got? Nothing personal, but I’m going to go someplace where I feel like I have a chance because I have a quarterback in place.' That's what Fernando Mendoza brings to the table, which is why this whole thing feels differently, because the Raiders were able to go get the coach of their preference. And that coach of their preference was interested in their job for a lot of different reasons, but primarily, he feels like he's got a quarterback he can go compete with."
Raider Nation has long been infatuated with Mendoza, but hearing that he helped the team land a coveted head coach like Kubiak is just the icing on the cake. Hopefully, this is a situation where the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts.
Mendoza should be a difference-maker for the Silver and Black when he finally gets under center, as he'll bring a unique skill set to the quarterback position, as well as great leadership qualities, humility and a willingness to learn as he transitions to the NFL.
But it also sounds like Mendoza's presence alone brought an innovative, young, offensive-minded head coach to Las Vegas before even playing a snap. Mendoza is delivering things that Raider Nation has clamored for for years on end, and he hasn't even been officially drafted yet. What a great start.