Raiders' Latest Additions Are Already Ready for Fernando Mendoza

All the crazy NFL offseason buzz has been coming out of Las Vegas with the Raiders. It has been an eventful past week for the Silver and Black, as they are looking to get things going in the right direction.

spyte — Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

They made the right moves this past week with the free agents that they have brought in and now made it official. The Raiders went out and spent the money the right way. They fixed a lot of different things on both sides of the ball with the players who are now with the Raiders.

One of those was wide receiver Jalen Nailor. Nailor is coming from the Minnesota Vikings, where he was the No. 3 wide receiver, and he is coming to the Raiders looking to make his mark and potentially make himself the No. 1 receiver in Vegas.

wdw — Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor (1) runs for a gain during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Jalen Nailor Excited for Fernando Mendoza

Nailor has all the skills to do it, and now he will get that opportunity to show why he was brought here. Nailor was introduced earlier this week with the rest of the new members of the Raiders organization. He is excited because of the quarterback of the future, Fernando Mendoza.

“I mean, it'll be great to have him come in and show what he can do," said Raiders wide receiver Jalen Nailor. "He's shown it on the college level; he just has to come here and do that consistently at a high level. I think it'd be great for the team and our receiver room to have that kind of guy throwing us the ball. That would be very exciting for me.”

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Raiders are expected by everyone to take Mendoza with the first overall pick in next month's draft. The Raiders are looking to build this thing right, and they have done it in free agency, and they look to continue doing that in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders are looking to pick Mendoza and make him the future of this franchise at the quarterback position. Mendoza is going to work hard to be the best he can be for his team and his teammates.

We could see that Nailor and Mendoza's connection will be early next season. We are going to see it late this offseason, we teams get into all their team activity stuff, and when they finally start training camp. That is a great sign for players who are already in the building speak highly of an incoming rookie who is looking to make things better with the Raiders.

de2e — Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images