Training camp for the Las Vegas Raiders is finally here for the rookies, but the team had one lingering issue: No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza hadn’t signed his contract. There appeared to be a hang-up over his signing bonus.
However, Mendoza wasn’t about to miss practice, and the Raiders wanted to make sure he got all the reps he could, so they finally resolved the issue. Mendoza and the Raiders posted a video on social media announcing that he has finally signed his contract and is ready to start practicing.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the contract is fully guaranteed. It is for four years and worth $57.27 million, with a fifth-year option. It’s not entirely clear yet if he was able to get his full signing bonus up front.
This comes not long after the Raiders were able to ink a deal with fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy. The team now has all of their rookies signed ahead of training camp starting.
This is good news, as the Raiders won’t have to worry about any lingering distractions regarding rookie contracts. With veterans not reporting until later, it was important to get Mendoza locked up now so that he can get some more first-team reps before Kirk Cousins arrives at camp.
Mendoza Will See First-Team Reps in Camp
Cousins is going to come into camp as the favorite to be the Week 1 starter, but the Raiders will give Mendoza his chances. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the team is expected to give him first-team reps throughout training camp.
“Through all that, two things have been clear,” Breer said. “The first is that Mendoza’s reputation as a worker and as being coachable checked out—his presence has been constant at the facility, and he has shown the ability to absorb what he’s being taught and translate it to the practice field quickly. Second, Kirk Cousins and Mendoza already have a really strong relationship, which should help the rookie as he navigates his first season as a pro.
“So given all that, could Mendoza win the job? I think it’s probably unlikely. Kubiak, I believe, will be very deliberate in how the Raiders bring Mendoza along, as much as anything to ensure that the progress he’s making takes and becomes permanent. But it does sound like the Raiders will sprinkle Mendoza in with the first team this summer—with Cousins’s extensive background in the scheme giving them more flexibility to do so—as part of the rookie’s larger development plan.”
Mendoza Needs Excellent Camp to Win Starting Job
The Raiders want to start Cousins, which puts Mendoza at a big disadvantage. He’s going to have to convince the coaching staff to get over their personal preference.
There is merit to the idea that he should be brought up slowly. The Raiders don’t have any reason to rush him. At the same time, it’ll be hard to justify starting Cousins if Mendoza is clearly better. If he thoroughly outplays Cousins in training camp, he’ll be the starter in Week 1, but it has to be definitive.
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