Not lengthy after a story steered that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could wish to play for the Las Vegas Raiders, Mike Florio of Professional Soccer Speak mentioned that Raiders minority proprietor Tom Brady may “take a giant swing…if Jackson is able to take his bat and ball to a brand new metropolis.”
The Raiders clearly would not spend the primary choose of the 2026 NFL Draft on a quarterback in the event that they acquired Jackson forward of the player-selection course of. In his mock draft posted on Wednesday morning, well-known ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. appeared to say loads concerning the Jackson-Raiders rumors when Kiper predicted that Las Vegas will seize Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with general choose No. 1.
Raiders have “straightforward” choice between Fernando Mendoza, Lamar Jackson?
“That is a straightforward one,” Kiper wrote. “…Mendoza may be part of Joe Burrow and Cam Newton in going undefeated for the season, successful the Heisman Trophy and the nationwide championship, and going No. 1 within the draft all inside a 12-month window. Mendoza transferred to the Hoosiers from Cal and instantly leveled up, throwing 41 landing passes and simply six interceptions in 2025. I see nice ball placement on the tape, and he is a no brainer to start Spherical 1. Las Vegas may begin to construct one thing offensively right here with Mendoza, operating again Ashton Jeanty and tight finish Brock Bowers.”
In contrast to Mendoza, Jackson is a confirmed commodity who’s in his bodily prime and has two MVP Awards on his profession resume. Brady allegedly thought the 2025 Raiders had a roster able to successful greater than three video games, so it is honest to surprise if he would push common supervisor John Spytek to provide a to-be-hired head coach Jackson as an alternative of Mendoza as his QB1.
Why Raiders would choose Fernando Mendoza over Lamar Jackson
Mendoza’s expertise apart, historical past reveals that common managers and first-year head coaches favor to be married to thrilling quarterback prospects on rookie contracts. Jackson signed a five-year contract
reportedly value as much as $260M with $185M assured within the spring of 2023, and he is trying to ink a profitable extension this offseason.
Moreover, there are considerations about Jackson’s sturdiness. Injuries prompted him to overlook 11 video games (playoffs included) from Week 1 of the 2021 season by the 2022 marketing campaign. Extra just lately, he was limited to 13 begins this season as a result of hamstring and back points.
