{"id":432502,"date":"2026-01-23T15:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/432502\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T15:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:55:10","slug":"what-fernando-mendoza-declaring-for-nfl-draft-means-for-raiders-head-coach-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/432502\/","title":{"rendered":"What Fernando Mendoza declaring for NFL draft means for Raiders’ head coach search"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Fernando Mendoza declaring for NFL draft means for Raiders’ head coach search<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> got some great news on Friday when Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza declared for the 2026 NFL draft.<\/p>\n

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Mendoza is the top quarterback in this year’s draft class and the expectation is that the Raiders will take him with the No. 1 overall pick in April.<\/p>\n

The Raiders desperately need a franchise quarterback and Mendoza certainly looks the part after a wildly successful college career that saw him more than pass the eye test while winning a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get to work. I\u2019m humbled to announce that I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft,” Mendoza said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As this news came across the Raiders’ desk on Friday, the team is still searching for its next head coach. Here’s what Mendoza declaring means for Las Vegas’ search.<\/p>\n

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Mendoza’s impact on Raiders head coach search<\/p>\n

With Mendoza now in the fold, the Raiders are almost certainly going to hire an offensive-minded coach.<\/p>\n

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that Las Vegas is\u00a0\u201cbelieved to be focusing on an offensive-minded head coach to pair with the likely No. 1 overall pick.”<\/p>\n

While the Raiders have interviewed several offensive-minded coaches<\/a>, two stand out above the rest based on what Schultz has heard.<\/p>\n

Those two are Seattle Seahawks<\/a> offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Broncos<\/a> passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard a lot of Klint Kubiak and Davis Webb mentioned here,” Schultz added<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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While only 30 years old, Webb is a rising star and someone who played a big role in the development of Bo Nix, which will now be particularly attractive for the Raiders.<\/p>\n

Kubiak is in his first year as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and led Seattle to one of the better units in the NFL this season. He entered this coach-hiring cycle considered one of the hottest candidates.<\/p>\n

We tend to lean Kubiak over Webb because of his advantage in his experience, but one way or the other it looks like Las Vegas will hire an offensive-minded coach.<\/p>\n

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