Raiders agree to $57.2M contract with No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza

Let the countdown begin on when Fernando Mendoza takes over as the Raiders’ starting quarterback.

The first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft signed his rookie deal with the Silver and Black on Thursday, just as he and the rest of the Raiders rookie class reported to training camp.

Mendoza’s contract is worth a fully guaranteed $57.2 million over four seasons and includes a $38-million signing bonus. The Raiders also have a fifth-year option on him for the 2030 season.

Mendoza’s signing leaves only the Rams’ Ty Simpson as the lone unsigned first-round pick. The expectation is that Simpson, the former Alabama quarterback taken 13th overall, will soon sign his deal.

A hangup in Mendoza agreeing to terms was the signing bonus payout schedule. The Raiders and Rams have historically paid  first-round bonuses off in multiple payments. Other teams pay it out at the time of singing in one lump sum.

Whatever the Raiders and Mendoza agreed to regarding the signing bonus could be the framework Simpson and the Rams now follow.

Now that the Indiana Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion is in the fold, the quarterback competition between he and veteran Kirk Cousins can officially start.

The Raiders signed Cousins during the offseason to serve as their bridge quarterback to Mendoza. While Cousins has a good chance to get the starting nod out of the gate, the Raiders remain open-minded about Mendoza winning the starting job in training camp.

Mendoza was a three-year college starter, the first two at Cal before transferring to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season. In 36 career games, including 35 starts he completed 691 of 1,008 passes for 8,247 yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

Mendoza carried Indiana to the first National Championship in school history last year, a perfect 16-0 record, by throwing for 3,535 yards, an FBS-high 41 touchdowns and six interceptions.

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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com