It's hard to overstate how bad the quarterback play was in Las Vegas in 2025. Geno Smith went 2-13 as the starter, threw a league-high 17 interceptions against just 19 touchdowns, and finished with 3,025 yards on 67.4% completion. That kind of season, on top of a historically bad team record, is exactly how a franchise ends up drafting first overall.

Enter Fernando Mendoza

The Raiders used that No. 1 overall pick on Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Hoosiers to the school's first-ever national championship. He signed a rookie contract worth roughly $57 million, and the plan is for him to be the long-term answer at the position after years of stopgaps and disappointments.

Smith, for his part, didn't stick around to compete for the job. The Raiders moved him for a 2026 sixth-round pick, officially closing the book on last year's quarterback experiment before it ever really got started.

What it means for 2026

Handing a rookie the offense is rarely painless, and Mendoza will be doing it behind a line that's still being rebuilt and inside a brand-new scheme under offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko. But after the Smith experience, the front office clearly decided that upside was worth the growing pains. This is the swing the franchise chose to make, and it will define how 2026 is remembered in Las Vegas.