How Raiders Could Shock the World This Offseason

What if the Raiders don't draft Fernando Mendoza

The Las Vegas Raiders weren't the only team after Klint Kubiak. Ten different franchises around the NFL changed head coaches this offseason. Sin City just happened to be the one to come away with an instrumental part of the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks.

The Raiders were the last team to fill their head coach vacancy, but they didn't settle for Klint Kubiak. Instead, they won him. Kubiak could have signed with at least one other franchise this offseason, the Arizona Cardinals, but chose to go to Las Vegas. Several other candidates turned down prospective jobs but kept their names in the running for the Raiders' opening, too.

That begs the question: what made the Las Vegas job stand out? For one, the next head coach of the Raiders would have the full support of minority owner Tom Brady, General Manager John Spytek, and owner Mark Davis. This is a franchise that has proven that it's willing to spend in pursuit of a championship. So far, the Raiders' deep pockets haven't paid off on the field, but it hasn't been due to a lack of effort.

But the thing that made Las Vegas such a desirable landing spot is its first-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with it, presumptive No. 1 prospect, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. As soon as it was confirmed that the Raiders would be picking first, it was treated as a foregone conclusion that they'd take him to lead them into their next era under center.

FanDuel has him listed at -7,000 to go No. 1. If Las Vegas were to go in a different direction with the first pick or trade out of No. 1, leading to someone else going at the top of the draft, it would truly shock the world.

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