2026 NFL Draft: Contract details revealed for Raiders first-round pick Fernando Mendoza
Fernando Mendoza was the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday by the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, his contract details have been revealed.
Mendoza will sign a $54.5 million, fully-guaranteed four-year contract with the Raiders, according to Spotrac. He’ll be given a $34.4 million signing bonus to go along with a $13.6 million AAV. He’ll be paid $9.9 million during his rookie season.
That’s a fairly sizable jump from last year’s No. 1 pick. The Tennessee Titans signed QB Cam Ward this time last offseason to a four-year, $48.84 million deal. That number steadily increases every season under the current NFL collective bargaining agreement. For reference, Joe Burrow‘s deal as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 totaled $36.19 million.
This means that with Mendoza’s selection, the former Indiana quarterback becomes the first rookie to ever sign a contract north of $50 million. He won’t be the last — as each of the top three picks are slated to sign contracts in the same ballpark.
On the field, Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions during his national championship-winning, Heisman Trophy season at Indiana last season. He’ll now be paid handsomely as a result,
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In turn, he’s now looked at as the future of the Raiders organization. Despite the team signing veteran QB Kirk Cousins this offseason, Mendoza will be expected to compete for the starting job right away.
Notably, all first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft will receive four-year deals with fifth-year club options. Their salaries are fully-guaranteed, which is different from those selected in rounds 2-7. Instead, they’ll sign a four year contract with no club option.
According to Spotrac, this year’s base rookie salary is set at $885,000, which is up from last year’s $840,000 minimum. The last pick in the draft (No. 257) will be expected to sign a contract worth $4.4 million — which would be a $913,565 salary for year one.
That minimum could be expected for undrafted free agents, who will sign their deals once the draft is concluded. UDFA rookies can sign for up to three years with no club option.