Raiders Sign Fernando Mendoza To Fully Guaranteed Rookie Contract

Mendoza also put out a short message to Raiders fans to celebrate signing his new deal:

Mendoza was a no-brainer pick for the Raiders with the first overall selection and projects to be their franchise quarterback for years to come. He appeared in 36 career college games at Cal and Indiana and competed 691-of-1,008 passing attempts for 8,247 yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

His 2025 season was a special one as Mendoza led Indiana to their first NCAA National Championship after going 16-0. He completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions and was named the Heisman Trophy winner, Associated Press Player of the Year, Associated Press All-American First Team, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team, and the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Award winner.

Heading into his first training camp with the Raiders, Mendoza is expected to compete with Kirk Cousins for the starting job. If Mendoza is not ready to start in Week 1 then the organization will not rush him with the long-term goal and outlook in mind.

Fernando Mendoza believes Raiders are best fit

When Mendoza got drafted by the Raiders, he discussed why he feels Las Vegas is the best fit for his playstyle.

“[D]eep down, in my heart, I knew the Raiders are most likely going to be the best fit because of the coaching staff,” he said. “I think it really fits my play-style great, with all the great teammates on offense and defense, they’re stacked. … I think all the stars are aligning here, and this is a blessing, this position.”

The Raiders have been looking for a true franchise quarterback for a while now and believe they have that in Mendoza.