Though they drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall in April, the Raiders are one of five teams without a scheduled primetime game in 2026.
That’s not something new from the NFL, as the Titans didn’t have a primetime game in 2025 either after selecting quarterback Cam Ward with the first overall pick.
While the Raiders are a storied team with a nationally recognized brand, the fact that the team has won just seven games over the last two seasons is surely factoring into how attractive — or, in this case, unattractive — the club is for games in a standalone window.
In a conference call on Friday, NFL VP of broadcasting planning Mike North was asked whether or not the uncertainty of Mendoza being Las Vegas’ starting quarterback factored into the decision to keep the Raiders out of a primetime slot.
“As far as the Raiders go, I mean, nobody knows if or when Mendoza might play,” North said, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “It would certainly be great if we knew. We don’t. But they went out and signed a very competent veteran quarterback, and if they find themselves, you know, hovering around .500 and playoff-relevant in the middle of the season, they might be a little more reluctant to pull the trigger and move to the rookie. And if they are playoff-relevant, they will find themselves flexed into bigger national television windows, whether it’s Sunday night, Monday night, or just a bigger footprint on a Sunday afternoon.
“Not to point fingers, but I think the best comp is probably Tennessee from last year. They drafted No. 1 overall, took a quarterback who looks like he can play in this league, [and] they didn’t happen to get a national television appearance last year, either. … We don’t draft our way into primetime. We play our way into primetime.”
While head coach Klint Kubiak and the rest of the Raiders’ brass have said that they’d prefer to have a veteran start over a rookie quarterback early, Mendoza could be in the starting lineup sooner than later over veteran Kirk Cousins. We’ll see how Las Vegas’ quarterback situation plays out and whether or not the club can play its way into a flexed primetime spot as the season unfolds.
The NFL does not expect the Jets, Cardinals, Titans, Dolphins or Raiders to be any good this season.
They are the only teams not to get a primetime game.
The Dolphins finished 7-10 last season but signaled a rebuild with several big moves in the offseason. The Jets, Titans, Raiders and Cardinals all finished 3-14 last season.
The Raiders’ exclusion from primetime is a slight surprise given the presence of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and several big-name additions. Kirk Cousins, though, is expected to start the season for the Raiders, so there is no firm date when Mendoza will make his debut.
We don’t know if Fernando Mendoza will be starting at quarterback for the Raiders in Week 1 of the regular season, but we do know who the Raiders will be playing in the first overall pick’s potential debut.
The NFL’s schedule reveal on Thursday night shows that the Raiders will host the Dolphins at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 13. The game will be on Fox.
Mendoza will have to get the nod over Kirk Cousins in order to start for the Raiders. Offseason addition Malik Willis is expected to make his first appearance for the Dolphins. Both teams will definitely have head coaches making their offseason debut as Las Vegas hired Klint Kubiak in February and Miami hired Jeff Hafley in January.
Sunday will also feature a pair of divisional games in the late afternoon window. The Packers will visit the Vikings while the Commanders will be in Philadelphia to renew their acquaintance with the Eagles. The NFC North matchup will be on CBS while the NFC East clash will be broadcast by Fox.
The other late game on Sunday afternoon will see the Cardinals visiting the Chargers on CBS. Arizona could have Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew or rookie Carson Beck at quarterback for that contest.
The 1 p.m. ET games will send the Bills to Houston for a date with the Texans while the Browns go on the road against the Jaguars. The Colts will host the Ravens, the Saints will visit the Lions, the Buccaneers will travel to Cincinnati for Dexter Lawrence’s first game as a Bengal, and the Steelers will kick off the Mike McCarthy era — with or without Aaron Rodgers — at home against the Falcons.
Previous reports revealed that the Jets will be in Tennessee and that the Bears will head to Charlotte to face the Panthers. The Jets-Titans game will be on CBS along with the Bills-Texans, Ravens-Colts and Browns-Jaguars games. All the other 1 p.m. games will be on Fox.
The entire Week 1 slate will kick off on Wednesday, September 9 with a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl rematch in Seattle on NBC. Thursday will bring a Netflix game between the 49ers and Rams in the NFL’s first game in Melbourne and Sunday night will find the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium to meet the Giants on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Those games were all announced ahead of Thursday’s full schedule reveal, which was also the case for the ESPN Monday night game between the Broncos and Chiefs in Kansas City.
The new Breece Hall contract with the Jets has been widely characterized as having a value of $45.75 million over three years. That equates to an average of $15.25 million per year.
The full details of the contract have arrived at PFT HQ. We’ll see below whether the numbers match the reports.
Here they are, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $5 million.
2. 2026 90-man roster bonus: $5 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 base salary: $5.16 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2026 48-man per-game roster bonus: $340,000 total, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).
5. 2027 base salary: $13.16 million, fully guaranteed.
6. 2027 48-man per-game roster bonus: $340,000 total, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).
7. 2028 base salary: $14.16 million.
8. 2028 48-man per-game roster bonus: $340,000.
The contract includes $750,000 per year in incentives. He’s eligible for $250,000 each year for making it to the Pro Bowl roster, $250,000 each year for gaining 1,416 yards from scrimmage, and $250,000 each year for scoring seven rushing touchdowns.
The per-year average of the base package is $14.5 million, not $15.25 million. The incentives, if earned, would push the average to $15.25 million annually.
The deal fully guarantees the first two seasons, at $29 million in total pay.
Hall was eligible for a one-year, $14.293 million salary under the franchise tag. He had not accepted it. The contract, therefore, isn’t an extension; there was nothing to extend. It’s a new, three-year deal that replaces the tag.
The Jets officially signed wide receiver Tim Patrick on Thursday.
Patrick visited with the team and agreed to terms on a deal for the 2026 season on Wednesday. The Jets waived kicker Will Ferrin in a corresponding move.
Patrick will join Garrett Wilson, first-round pick Omar Cooper, and Adonai Mitchell at the top of the team’s receiver depth chart. Patrick had 15 catches for 187 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games for the Jaguars last season.
Patrick had 176 catches for 2,403 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Lions and Broncos before landing with the Jags.
Ferrin signed with the Jets after going undrafted this year. He kicked at BYU and Boise State during his time in college.
