Overview
- The No. 1 overall pick has not signed his rookie deal as of June 23, with multiple outlets reporting the hold-up is about how the roughly $38.1 million signing bonus would be paid and the contract’s offset and guarantee provisions.
- Raiders coaching and front-office comments point to a deliberate plan to protect Mendoza’s development by giving veteran Kirk Cousins the early starting role while Mendoza learns the offense and adjusts to taking snaps under center.
- Tom Brady, a Raiders minority owner, is mentoring Mendoza; team video of a FaceTime exchange went viral and Mendoza has publicly described Brady’s guidance on leadership and toughness.
- Early offseason practices saw Mendoza working mostly with second- and third-team units, a detail that drew public criticism from a former scout but which team officials call part of a staged development approach.
- Industry projections still expect a four-year rookie-scale deal with a fifth-year option and about $57.27 million total value, but the Raiders’ history of staggered bonus payments helps explain leverage in talks and makes training camp the near-term inflection point for both signing and any promotion.