Mendoza signed, sealed and delivered

HENDERSON, Nev. — There’ll be no holdouts among the rookies at the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp. Which means fewer distractions for first-year head coach Klint Kubiak.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza put his signature to a four-year deal worth a reported $57.27 million and is fully guaranteed. He reported to the Intermountain Health Performance Center Thursday with the rest of the 10 rookies, all of who are signed.

Mendoza is receiving a signing bonus of $38.1 million so he can now concentrate on football, which has been his mantra since the Raiders took him No. 1 overall in late April.

“I’m so excited to be part of the family. Can’t wait to get to work,” Mendoza, who led Indiana to the national championship earlier this year, said on the Raiders’ X account Thursday. “Appreciate your guys’ all support. Let’s get this thing rolling!”

And while Kirk Cousins is the favorite to be the Raiders’ starter on Sept. 13 vs. Miami at Allegiant Stadium, it was important for Mendoza to not miss any time. He may be highly intelligent, but it’s a big learning curve from college football to the NFL, something he has acknowledged on more than one occasion.

There is a team option fifth year in the contract so No. 15 is going to be around Las Vegas for a while. The plan is not to rush his development, let him learn and progress at a pace both he and the coaching staff are comfortable with and be ready to stay the starter once they make him the No. 1 QB.

The veterans report next Tuesday and the first day of overall camp is Wednesday. But there were images on the Raiders’ social media of some of the veterans showing up at the team’s facility in Henderson, including Maxx Crosby and Jackson Powers-Johnson.  

For the next few days, it’ll be Mendoza and his fellow rookies who will be the center of attention as they acclimate themselves to NFL life and Kubiak and his staff get a feel for what they have to work with.