It took until the rookies were already unpacking their bags in Las Vegas, but the Raiders got the deal done. Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, has signed his four-year rookie contract, and it's about as good as a slotted rookie deal gets: fully guaranteed money across the board.
The news broke Thursday afternoon that the Raiders and Mendoza had finally come to terms.
Adam Schefter had the numbers first: 4 years, $57.2 million, fully guaranteed, with Mendoza now cleared to join his new teammates who'd already reported to camp. That last detail matters — this wasn't a deal that dragged into the season. It got squared away right as things were ramping up, which is about the best-case outcome for a rookie quarterback trying to build chemistry before Week 1.
Schefter's initial report laid out the terms and confirmed Mendoza could now get to work with the team.
The delay wasn't really about the total number — that was locked in by draft slot. Reports indicated the sticking point was how the roughly $38 million signing bonus would be paid out, with Mendoza's side pushing for a lump sum and the Raiders preferring installments. Those disagreements happen every year with top-5 picks; they just don't usually make it to the eve of training camp before getting resolved.
Context matters here. Mendoza arrives in Las Vegas off one of the more decorated final college seasons in recent memory, winning Indiana's first Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and the program's first national championship. The Raiders spent the offseason bringing in Kirk Cousins specifically to be the bridge starter while Mendoza acclimates, so nobody's expecting him under center Week 1 — but every rep in camp now counts.
Beat reporters filled in more details on the signing once the ink was dry.
More about the Raiders signing No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to his four-year fully guaranteed $57.2 million contract, via @ryanmcfadden_. https://t.co/3MwB378ids
With the contract behind him, the real story starts now: how fast Mendoza looks in an NFL camp for the first time, whether he pushes Cousins for reps sooner than planned, and what kind of quarterback the Raiders actually got for their $57 million. The holdout drama is over. The evaluation begins.