Did Raiders come close to trading Fernando Mendoza draft pick?

Last week, Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek indicated that he had no interest in trading the first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft that the Raiders presumably will spend to acquire Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza this coming Thursday night. 

It sounds like other teams have given up on trying to get their hands on Mendoza.

Raiders at least listened to offers for Fernando Mendoza draft pick? 

On Sunday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared that "league sources said the Raiders took some exploratory phone calls on" possibly trading the first overall pick. Those calls "didn't go anywhere, and other teams are not pushing to change that."

For a time this past winter, some suggested the Raiders could at least consider making a bold move to land Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson ahead of the draft. There's now no indication Jackson is available even though he and the Ravens haven't yet agreed to what almost certainly will be an expensive contract extension. Meanwhile, it seems that would-be buyers wouldn't match the Raiders' asking price for what's going to become known as the Mendoza pick.

"Nobody is giving them two [first-round draft picks]," one NFL executive told La Canfora about the Raiders holding the draft's first overall selection. "It's not happening. They aren’t going to get what it would take to move off him. Their fans expect it now. and their locker room expects it. Tom Brady (Raiders minority owner) is getting his quarterback." 

Teams not as high on Ty Simpson as thought? 

It's assumed one reason the Raiders aren't moving off the first pick is that this year's draft class may be responsible for just one quarterback who is a true first-round talent. Whether or not a team should take a flier on Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller Ty Simpson during the draft's first round continues to be a polarizing topic among certain members of the NFL community. 

"I’d take Carson Beck (Miami) in the third round before I took Simpson in the second round," one general manager told La Canfora. "[Simpson] is not a first-round quarterback. That doesn't mean someone won't reach for him, but I don't see it." 

Specifically, the Arizona Cardinals have routinely been linked with Simpson since at least March.