The Indiana quarterback and No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft signed his four-year rookie contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, the team announced, as rookies reported for training camp. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the deal is worth $57.27 million, fully guaranteed, with a fifth-year option built in, as is standard for first-round picks. ESPN confirmed the guaranteed value and contract length.
The signing wasn’t a formality. According to Yahoo Sports, a person familiar with the situation said the holdup centered on how Mendoza’s signing bonus would be paid out, not the overall money. The Raiders’ standard practice is to pay signing bonuses in installments; Mendoza’s side pushed for a lump sum, a structure that hasn’t gone to a No. 1 pick since Kyler Murray in 2019. Silver and Black Pride reported the delay also touched on offset language and voiding rules, common sticking points in rookie deals that otherwise follow the league’s slotted pay scale.
With his signature down, Mendoza becomes the final piece of a completed puzzle. RealGM reported his deal completes the Raiders’ entire 10-player 2026 draft class, with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson now the only unsigned first-round pick left in the league.
Cousins Still Holds the Job
Mendoza won’t be handed a starting job just because he was picked first. Kirk Cousins signed a one-year deal with Las Vegas this offseason to reunite with new head coach Klint Kubiak, and RealGM noted Cousins has taken the majority of first-team reps during the offseason program, with Mendoza working mostly with the third-team offense and occasional second-team snaps.
That’s a departure from how the last few No. 1 quarterbacks came into the league. Cam Ward started Week 1 for Tennessee as a rookie. Caleb Williams did the same in Chicago. If Mendoza opens 2026 on the bench, it would mark the first time since 2022 that a rookie quarterback taken with a top pick didn’t start his team’s season opener.
Raiders general manager John Spytek and Kubiak have both said publicly they’d prefer to let rookie quarterbacks sit and learn under ideal circumstances, though Silver and Black Pride reported no exact timeline for Mendoza’s debut has been announced. The outlet noted Rapoport’s reporting suggests the team may be leaning toward keeping Mendoza out of the lineup entirely in 2026, though that has not been confirmed by the organization itself.
A Rare Résumé
Whenever he does take the field, Mendoza arrives with a résumé that stands out even among No. 1 picks. He threw an FBS-leading 41 touchdowns in 2025, a season that ended with Indiana’s first national championship and a perfect 16-0 record. He also won the Heisman Trophy, and NFL.com reported, citing NFL Research, that he’s just the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win both the Heisman and a national title before being drafted No. 1 overall, joining Cam Newton (2011, Carolina) and Joe Burrow (2020, Cincinnati).
According to FOX5 Las Vegas, Mendoza started 35 of 36 career games across four college seasons — three at California before transferring to Indiana for 2025 — completing 691 of 1,008 passes for 8,247 career yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
| Category | 2025 Season (Indiana) | College Career |
|---|---|---|
| Record as starter | 16-0 | 35-1 |
| Passing yards | 3,535 | 8,247 |
| Touchdowns | 41 | 71 |
| Interceptions | 6 | 22 |
The pick itself carries some franchise weight. This marks just the second time in the Common Draft Era, which dates to 1967, that the Raiders have held the No. 1 overall selection. The first time, in 2007, they took LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell — a pick that became one of the more cautionary tales in draft history. Las Vegas is coming off a 3-14 season and is hoping this version of the No. 1 pick writes a different story.
For now, the plan is patience. Mendoza has his contract, his signing bonus structure resolved, and a full training camp ahead of him to close the gap on Cousins. What happens after that is, by the team’s own account, still undecided.
