Rich Gannon Endorses Fernando Mendoza as Raiders' Potential No. 1 Draft Pick

As Draft Day approaches, one Raiders legend is eager to see the team roll out the red carpet for Fernando Mendoza.

by Tzvi Machlin

Apr 3, 2026

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks to the media.

While Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza may still have doubters even after a rock-solid Pro Day, the Las Vegas Raiders are no less interested in taking him No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. As that day approaches, one Raiders legend is eager to see the team roll out the red carpet for him.

In an interview with Adam Schein, former Raiders quarterback and NFL MVP Rich Gannon gave Mendoza his official stamp of approval to take the reins of the team and lead them into a new era.

"What he represents is hope for the future," Gannon said. "We haven't had that in a while. It's been decades since the Raiders won a postseason game. Yours truly was the quarterback the last time the Raiders won a playoff game back in 2002. So it's been a while... I love his size... When you think about that frame and you think about (similarly sized guys) like Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, he's a big, strong guy. He's willing to sit in there with a tough jaw. He's got athleticism. He can escape. He can manufacture some offense on his own. A high completion percentage player at Indiana... I mean you start going through the game tape... I just think he has the traits that you really look for at the quarterback position."

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Decades of Desolation

It's been nearly a quarter-century since the Raiders were in a Super Bowl and in those years they have lingered somewhere between helpless and hopeless.

From 2003 to 2009 the Raiders lost 11 or more games each year.
From 2003 to 2015 the Raiders didn't make the playoffs once
Since 2003 the Raiders have had 15 seasons of 10 or more losses.
JaMarcus Russell

The list goes on and on.

SAN DIEGO, CA - JANUARY 26: Rich Gannon #12 of the Oakland Raiders looks to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII at Qualcomm Stadium on January 26, 2003 in San Diego, California. The Buccaneers won the game 48-21. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Focus On Sport/Getty Images

There were flashes of a return to form during the height of Derek Carr's time with the Raiders, but those were few and far between. More importantly, the team has won just seven games over the past two years.

Mendoza represents a chance to reset the franchise at a time where it's only getting harder to make any sort of noise in the AFC, let alone the entire NFL.