The Raiders rookie quarterback said Klint Kubiak reminds him of Curt Cignetti in one big way: both coaches are obsessed with the details. Not just the highlight plays, not just the big completions, but the little stuff most people never notice — footwork, timing, depth, extra hitches, and whether the ball came out exactly how it was supposed to.
That’s the kind of coaching Mendoza says helped him take off at Indiana, and now he’s seeing the same standard with the Raiders.
Mendoza isn’t walking into Las Vegas like a guy who thinks he has already made it, either. He said both Cignetti and Kubiak preach the same message: kill the ego and keep getting better.
That mindset is probably exactly what the Raiders want to hear from their new franchise quarterback.
Mendoza was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a monster season at Indiana. He led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record, a national championship, and won the Heisman Trophy. He finished the year completing 273 of 379 passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only six interceptions, while also adding seven rushing touchdowns.
He wasn’t always viewed like this, either. Mendoza came out of high school as a two-star recruit, with Cal being his only Power 5 offer. He spent time with the Golden Bears, transferred to Indiana, and turned himself into one of the biggest stories in college football.
Now the real challenge begins.
Mendoza enters training camp trying to prove he can push Kirk Cousins for the Raiders’ starting job, while also adjusting to Kubiak’s offense, which asks more from the quarterback under center and in the play-action game.
The talent is obvious. The résumé is already loaded. But if Mendoza really brings that no-ego, detail-obsessed approach with him to Vegas, the Raiders might finally have their guy