The Las Vegas Raiders could get a lot better during the 2026 offseason. Las Vegas is off to a good starter after hiring Klint Kubiak at head coach. Now the Raiders need to nail free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, especially because they hold the first overall pick. One former general manager knows what he would do with the pick.
Former Raiders general manager Tom Telesco explained what he would do with the first overall pick in a recent interview.
“There is no guarantee next year. You do not know where you are drafting. You do not know which quarterbacks are going to be available,” Telesco to Peter Schrager, via Michael Canelo of Sports Illustrated . “Last year at this time, we thought it was going to be a really good quarterback class, and it did not turn out to be quite like that. You just never know. People who say, I know where the draft will be in 2027 and 2028, no one truly knows. We barely know about this draft and who will plan it out.”
Telesco was the general manager in Las Vegas for the 2024 season. Previously he was the general manager with the Chargers from 2013-23.
Telesco argued that there is no way the Raiders should pass up Mendoza, even if they are offered a huge trade package.
“If I am there, you cannot offer me enough,” Telesco added. “Like, I am taking [Fernando] Mendoza, fully knowing we need a lot of other help around him, that we are going to have to build on the fly. They got plenty of cap space this year. I think they have a good amount of draft picks … And you start using your resources the best you can to put around Mendoza. Get them there, and away you go.”
The Raiders do have plenty of resources to build a winner around Mendoza quickly.
Las Vegas has roughly $91.52 million in cap space to start the offseason. In fact, the only team with more cap space is Tennessee. The Raiders are positioned well to be big players during NFL free agency.
The Raiders also boast 10 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, giving them access to several young players on cost-controlled contracts.
If the Raiders do draft Mendoza, they need to sell out to build a team around him as quickly as possible.
