As the 2025 season winds down, much of the discussion surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders has already shifted to the offseason, particularly what the franchise will do to address the quarterback position. Geno Smith has not performed well this season, and the Raiders are tied for the worst record in the league alongside the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.
With both the Titans and Giants seemingly set at quarterback, the Raiders look to be in a prime position to take the top QB in the 2026 NFL Draft, which many believe is Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who was recently named the Heisman Trophy winner.
Mendoza certainly has several fans, some of whom have ties to the Raiders organization. In fact, former Raiders QB Derek Carr recently spoke highly of Mendoza on the latest episode of the Home Grown podcast with his brother David:
“He reminds me of Kirk Cousins. Accurate, tall in the pocket. When you watch his interviews, he doesn’t miss a word that he’s trying to say […] I feel like his brain moves at 1.5 speed, while we’re all at 1.0.”
The Cousins comparison may raise some concerns, but Carr was speaking more about the way Mendoza carries himself and how he interviews than about his on-field skills. Carr even admitted that he hasn’t done a full deep dive into Mendoza, but likes what he sees so far.
Someone even more critical inside the Raiders organization is minority owner Tom Brady, who also had a lot of positives to say when speaking on Mendoza on Fox NFL Sunday:
“I love everything about his game. Certainly, his leadership is what stands out to me. It’s his relatability to his teammates and he’s overcome a lot of things in his career. He’s a Miami kid, went to Cal, to Indiana. And then you go to a program that hasn’t won ANYTHING in forever. What he’s done this season was so impressive so I’m really happy for him.”
Impressing Brady and getting him to buy in would be the more surefire way to wind up with the Raiders, but Mendoza certainly is one of the top prospects at the position, alongside Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson. This season, Mendoza completed 71.4% of his passes for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns with just six interceptions while leading Indiana to an undefeated record and Big Ten Championship, along with the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
James Jones calls out Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty for performance vs. Eagles
The Raiders do seem to have a couple of building blocks on offense, one of whom is rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. But after a rough showing in the Raiders’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeanty was called out by former NFL WR James Jones.
