PHOENIX (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak hopes Fernando Mendoza won’t be thrown into the starting role immediately if the team drafts him.
Las Vegas is anticipated to choose the Heisman Trophy champion with the top selection in next month’s NFL draft. Mendoza guided Indiana to their inaugural national title and has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the first overall pick.
“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from day one,” Kubiak said Tuesday. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from day one and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”
Aidan O’Connell remains the sole quarterback on Las Vegas’ roster following trades involving Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett. Available free agents include Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson.
Kubiak, previously the offensive coordinator for Super Bowl-winning Seattle, took over from Pete Carroll with plans to revitalize a franchise that hasn’t secured a playoff victory since their AFC championship appearance after the 2002 campaign.
The foundation begins with securing a cornerstone quarterback.
“He’s a national champion, he’s a winner,” Kubiak said of Mendoza. “He’s quick. He’s intelligent.”
Defensively, Las Vegas retained five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby after his proposed trade to Baltimore collapsed due to a failed physical examination.
Kubiak acknowledged his positive reaction when general manager John Spytek informed him about the cancelled transaction.
“We got Maxx back. Are you kidding me? That’s great. Our team just got better,” Kubiak said.
Crosby returned to the team’s training facility the following day to continue knee rehabilitation, and Kubiak frequently encounters him there.
“We’re happy to have Maxx back on the team. He’s the best player on our defense,” Kubiak said. “He’s going to be a leader on our team and a guy that we’re counting on to go win a lot of games with him.”
Baltimore coach Jesse Minter expressed the organization’s enthusiasm about potentially acquiring Crosby and their disappointment when negotiations collapsed. The Ravens quickly adjusted by signing 2024 All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
“So much respect for Maxx,” Minter said. “Tons of respect for him as a player and the Raiders as an organization.”
New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn maintains elevated expectations for Smith, who endured a difficult season with Las Vegas after reconnecting with Carroll.
The 35-year-old quarterback topped the league with 17 interceptions and posted a 2-13 record in Las Vegas last year. He earned Pro Bowl selections in Seattle during 2022 and 2023 after taking over for Wilson.
“I just feel like he’s the guy who’s gonna lead us to the promised land,” Glenn said.
New York holds the NFL’s longest current playoff absence at 15 seasons.
Cleveland is providing Deshaun Watson a chance to compete for the starting position alongside Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, optimistic he could become another quarterback to engineer a remarkable comeback.
Sam Darnold transformed from castoff to leading Seattle to a Super Bowl championship.
“There are a lot of quarterbacks who — it seems to be kind of the theme in the NFL — either started or did not start well and then take their team to a Super Bowl championship, right?” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters. “And what a great story that is for Sam Darnold. Deshaun started great, and the year before we signed him, he was rated the second-best quarterback in the NFL. And then the suspension and the injuries and all that piled up. Can he come back from that? He certainly had the ability at one point in time, and we’re cautiously optimistic. But we’ll see.”
Watson is completing the final year of a $230 million, five-year fully guaranteed deal that has proven catastrophic for the franchise. He’s appeared in only 19 games with a 9-10 record. Watson hasn’t competed since 2024 following two ruptures of his right Achilles tendon.
New Cleveland coach Todd Monken stated he won’t distribute practice repetitions equally, instead adjusting daily based on player performance. This approach means Sanders, who concluded last season as the starter, might begin with the majority of snaps. Monken noted Sanders has maintained a consistent presence at team facilities during the offseason.
Denver coach Sean Payton joins those questioning whether NFL players belong on Team USA’s men’s flag football squad.
“I’ll be surprised if there’s one NFL player on that roster,” Payton said.
He led one of two teams that finished 0-3 in a round-robin competition against the men’s national squad on March 21.
