Raiders Taking Cautious Approach in Plan for Mendoza
The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of noteworthy aspects of their offseason programs. The Raiders added talent across the board, quickly filling their roster at some of the most critical positions on the field, most notably quarterback, linebacker, and offensive line.
However, as productive as this offseason has been, and as much as remains to be seen, years from now, this offseason will always be remembered as the one in which Las Vegas drafted Fernando Mendoza. He has a lot to prove, but so far, all eyes have been on him on every snap he has taken.
Watch Mendoza Discuss Mandatory Minicamp and More Below
Mendoza's Progress
Las Vegas' plan for Mendoza is extensive. Although that plan is largely unknown to those outside of the Raiders' organization, and likely even many within the organization, the Raiders' productive moves this offseason have earned them the benefit of the doubt in terms of their plan for Mendoza.
The details of those plans are under wraps. However, there are several other aspects of Mendoza's development that cannot be hidden, as Mendoza and the Raiders continue to progress through their offseason workouts. It is only June, but Mendoza seems to take another step with each practice.
During rookie minicamp, Organized Team Activities, and now mandatory minicamp, Mendoza's gradual development is already on display. The rookie quarterback seems to be grasping things quickly. He is doing so with fewer reps on the field than Las Vegas' other quarterbacks.
Mendoza has looked noticeably improved in some aspects of his game as he has progressed through the summer. This is not to say he has not gone through, or will not go through, his growing pains, as every rookie quarterback does. At this point in his first season in the NFL, he appears to be on track.
After starting over five different quarterbacks in the past three seasons, the Raiders have finally found their quarterback of the future in Mendoza. The rookie quarterback was a significant part of their plans to turn things around after years of subpar football.
However, another significant part of Las Vegas' offseason plans was the addition of Klint Kubiak and his coaching staff. The Raiders' front office emphasized adding talent to their coaching staff and roster, with assistant head coach Mike McCoy among Kubiak's biggest additions.
McCoy was Kubiak's first coaching staff hire after being named Las Vegas' head coach. McCoy and Kubiak have several ties, and McCoy has decades of experience around the league working with multiple quarterbacks who were drafted high, like Mendoza. This is a critical partof the Raiders' plan.
Few coaches the Raiders could have hired this offseason have more experience dealing directly with former No. 1 overall picks who were quarterbacks, as well as other highly drafted quarterbacks who were not first overall. So far, he believes Mendoza is progressing nicely.
"The great thing about Fernando [Mendoza] is, and I go back to one of the first times I met him, or even go back to the combine when you have the interviews and things like that - you don't have a lot of time at the combine - but is the questions that he asked. He wants to know why, and that's the great thing," McCoy said following mandatory minicamp.
"I think Andrew [Janocko] and the rest of the offensive staff have done a great job, because the first year is a challenge, not just for rookies, but for everybody. There's so much information, and you're installing a system for the long haul. It's not just this year, but it's for the future, and it changes from year to year, don't get me wrong there. You're always adjusting to your players and what they do best."
McCoy continued, noting that the Raiders' plans for developing Mendoza and the rest of the roster involve multiple steps. He also explained that the pace at which the coaching staff develops their players depends on the previous steps.
Las Vegas' roster is filled with young players, and their plans for a rebuild go far beyond this offseason. Every part of their development is important and will have ramifications in the near future.
"But the great thing about it is just the way the coaches have decided, 'Okay, we have these six installs, this is how we're going to install it.' We're going to repeat it a number of times for the offseason program," McCoy said.
"They're going to come back to training camp, it's back to day-one install again. But the most important thing is to explain to these players, this is why we do it this way, this is why the footwork is, this is why we have a certain five-step drop, seven-step drop, quick-passing game, all those different things. Here's the protection rules, and really explain to all the players this is why we're doing things."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Raiders Taking Cautious Approach in Plan for Mendoza.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:10 PM.