Raiders rumors: ESPN insider makes eye-opening Fernando Mendoza vs. Aidan O’Connell claim

There are questions about the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback position. But the rookie in the bunch has clicked early. Still, an ESPN insider made an eye-opening claim about Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell.

Dan Graziano said Mendoza won’t start for the Raiders before November, according to ESPN.

“(The Raiders) don’t want to play Mendoza yet not because they don’t think he’s ready, but because they don’t think they’re ready for him,” Graziano wrote. “They want the group around Mendoza to put him in the best possible position to succeed, and they recognize they might need at least one more offseason in order to produce that.

“If they stay true to their word, even if (Kirk) Cousins were to get injured early in the season, they’d probably rather play Aidan O’Connell over Mendoza.

What will the Raiders do at quarterback this season?

That’s an interesting take that the Raiders would turn to O’Connell before Mendoza. How would the fan base react to that? They’ve seen O’Connell, who started 17 games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He totaled 20 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions while posting a record of 7-10.

Those numbers aren’t terrible, but the Raiders were not a true playoff threat with O’Connell behind center. The idea of drafting Mendoza is that he will make the Raiders a perennial playoff contender.

One of the biggest problems is the receiver group. The Raiders are solid at running back with Ashton Jeanty. But with Tre Tucker as their WR1, they’re behind most of the league at that spot. Also, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech don’t move the needle much at WR2 and WR3.

Plus, the Raiders didn’t do much in the draft to support the receiver room. They selected Malik Benson in the sixth round, but he’s looking at a backup role, at best, in 2026.

One good thing is that the Raiders beefed up the offensive line by adding Tyler Linderbaum at center. There’s a reasonable hope that the Raiders could have a middle-of-the-pack offensive line. That bodes well for an earlier-than-November lineup arrival for Mendoza.

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