Raiders rumors: Fernando Mendoza won’t be only QB Las Vegas adds this offseason

The Las Vegas Raiders have turned away from Geno Smith, and they hope Fernando Mendoza is a great fit. But Mendoza won’t be the only quarterback the Raiders add this offseason, according to a post on X by Dianna Russini.

“If the Raiders continue to lean toward drafting Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, their preference is to not start him immediately. Look for Las Vegas to bring a veteran QB in free agency.”

That would be an interesting move. Because what if the veteran comes in and the Raiders start winning games? That would make it more difficult to turn things over to Mendoza at some point in 2026.

Raiders weighing their options at quarterback

With Smith headed out the door and Kenny Pickett set to enter free agency, the Raiders currently have only Aidan O’Connell on their quarterback depth chart. Certainly, that setup would put Mendoza on the field quickly in 2026.

It’s hard to imagine the Raiders would try to sign a guy like Malik Willis or Kyler Murray. Both of them seem to have at least a reasonable amount of franchise upside. But the problem with bringing in a veteran is the notion that it’s a short-term gig with the No. 1 pick in waiting.

That probably rules out guys like Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers. Maybe the Raiders could convince a guy like Marcus Mariota to sign.

But it’s more likely the Raiders would be left to sort through guys like Gardner Minshew, Sam Howell, Trey Lance, or perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo.

Whoever comes in will be trying to hold off Mendoza, who presents as an almost-ready player, according to ESPN.

“The top quarterback in the current draft class, Mendoza hasn’t received the hype of former No. 1 overall picks, but is deserving of all the love as he enters his predraft cycle,” Matt Miller wrote. “Mendoza is a clean, crisp passer who excels with pinpoint accuracy, on-time decision-making, and enough mobility to threaten defenses. ‘He’ll bore you to death and then beat you by 40 points,’ said an AFC East scout.

“Mendoza is at his best in the pocket and seems to level up once defenses rough him up.”

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