Out of the Las Vegas Raiders' 10 draft picks in 2026, the overall top pick, Fernando Mendoza was yet to sign a contract with the franchise. On Thursday, that wait is finally over as the 22-year-old finally signed a contract.

"The wait 15 over. #RaiderNation," The official Raiders' X page posted.

Just as Raiders rookies reported for training camp on July 23, 2026, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner officially put pen to paper on his fully guaranteed four-year, $57.27 million rookie deal, which also includes a fifth-year team option.

The finish line, however, didn't come without a brief detour. Many outlets reported that talks slowed over the structure of Mendoza's signing bonus, with both sides working through whether it would be paid as a lump sum or in installments.

The Raiders rookie became the second-to-last first-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft to finalize his rookie contract as announced by the franchise X account on July 23, leaving only fellow quarterback Ty Simpson, the Rams' No. 13 overall pick.

After a miserable 3-14 season, the Raiders used just the second No. 1 overall pick in franchise history during the Common Draft Era to land the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.

He also became only the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era, after Cam Newton and Joe Burrow, to win both college football's biggest prizes before hearing his name called first overall.

Now the real work begins. Mendoza finally gets to dive into Klint Kubiak's offense, but unlike recent No. 1 picks such as Cam Ward and Caleb Williams, the starting job isn't being handed to him.

Veteran Kirk Cousins remains firmly in the picture, with Kubiak already making it clear he'd prefer to open the season with an experienced quarterback if the situation allows.

NFL Analysts comment on Mendoza's contract

Just last week, the top four quarterbacks were not yet signed with their NFL franchises. Fast forward to now, and Chris Simms and Mike Florio sat down to talk about how all is now done and dusted.

That being said, they had their take on the QB1 battle in Las Vegas with training camp approaching. For Simms, the Raiders might be intentionally being cautious about the competition.

"They're trying to keep the pressure off the number one pick, not make him feel like he's got to carry the franchise right away from day one," Simms said on NFL on NBC on July 27. "Get him mental and physical confidence in the offense and all that. I think that's where they are with that."

Now that Fernando Mendoza has officially reported, the spotlight shifts from contract talks to competition.

With rookies already in the building, veterans like Kirk Cousins joining them, and the Raiders' first full team practices set to begin on July 29 in Henderson, the real quarterback battle is finally about to unfold.

Do you think we will see Fernando Mendoza start soon for the Raiders?

Read more at the Michigan Football Community

Written by

Aadesh Dhote

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote