QB Fernando Mendoza wasn't supposed to visit the Las Vegas Raiders until next week, but his visit has been moved up.
There are almost always timing issues when it comes to any free agent signing, and the latest one involving the Las Vegas Raiders is related to signing of Kirk Cousins. According to an article written by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk via Adam Schefter of ESPN, Mendoza’s visit has been pushed up to tomorrow.
The sudden change of schedule was based on an earlier report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Mendoza’s visit would take place next week.
Mendoza has already spent time with the Raiders brass, both at the combine and at his Pro Day over the weekend. Mendoza hasn’t taken any other visits that are known via other reports, as it’s believed to be almost certain that the Raiders will take him with the number one pick in the draft on April 23.
Still, all 32 teams reportedly showed up at Mendoza’s pro day, with most of them probably doing their due diligence to see his skill set in person.
There are other possibilities involved here, however. It’s fair to speculate that the schedule change was requested by Mendoza’s agent and the quarterback himself, just to get clarification about what the Raiders have in mind exactly by signing Cousins. There’s nothing ominous about this, and signings like the one with Cousins often occur suddenly with no chance to inform other interested parties of what’s happening.
There’s another possibility here, and it’s all about the money. The Raiders had only one other quarterback on their roster right now, Aidan O’Connell, and it’s unlikely they consider him competition for Mendoza.
Cousins is, however, even if his expected role is to mentor and tutor Mendoza. If the Raiders do plan to play Cousins does play on Week 1, though, that means Mendoza’s path to a starting job has just been altered, and young quarterbacks like Mendoza start earning that big second contract by playing right away. Plus this is the Raiders, who aren’t exactly known for having their ducks in a row when they make these kinds of maneuvers.
The reports that surface tomorrow after Mendoza’s visit will be interesting to monitor. We probably won’t learn anything, but once again, this is the Raiders, so someone might let something slip or their could be conflicting reports between the owner, the GM, the minority owner and the coach. It’s a fascinating situation to watch, even if there is nothing untoward going on.