Fernando Mendoza is joining the Las Vegas Raiders with an inquisitive mind.
The Raiders drafted Mendoza with the No. 1 pick after the Heisman Trophy winner steered Indiana to a national championship. He'll compete with Kirk Cousins for the starting quarterback job under new head coach Klint Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko.
Janocko praised Mendoza's eagerness to learn during an episode of the team's Upon Further Review podcast.
"He's somebody that wants to know the whys of everything, the story behind everything," Janocko said of Mendoza. "What we're calling, but why are we calling it? He's really just a sponge that wants to know everything."
Janocko's conversations with Mendoza have him thinking more deeply about his philosophies and considering tweaks.
"He's asking questions that you might not have thought about in a couple of years," Janocko said. "It also makes you evaluate everything. I know we've had some success doing it one way, but we could do it another way and be even better."
"There's some parts that we're still figuring out"
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
The Raiders will reconstruct their offense after finishing last in yards and points under Pete Carroll during the 2025 season. They once again turned to the Seattle Seahawks, hiring offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as their head coach.
Kubiak brought Janocko with him to Las Vegas after spending last year as Seattle's quarterbacks coach. He previously held the same role with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints.
The new coaching staff is crafting an offense that will likely run through Mendoza at some point this season. Janocko and Kubiak are trying to tailor schemes to their talent, which includes running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.
"There's some parts that we're still figuring out, that we're feeling out, that we are building together," Janocko said. "But it all comes down to, how can we support Klint in his role as the play-caller? How can we build around our players? And then, what is each individual person's role in fulfilling that?
"That's something that … none of us take lightly - that we all are involved, we all want to pull our weight, and that we build something that we put the players in the best situation to be successful."
