The Raiders announced a change to their roster on Thursday afternoon.
They have released veteran linebacker Jamin Davis. The team did not announce any corresponding moves, but the spot could be filled before or after this weekend’s rookie mincamp.
Davis signed to the practice squad last October and appeared in two games during the season. He had three tackles in those appearances.
Washington drafted Davis in the first round in 2021 and he appeared in 50 games before being cut during the 2024 season. He played in five games for the Vikings, but was released again before the end of the season.
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There has been much made about Tom Brady’s involvement — or lack thereof — with the Raiders since he became a minority owner of the franchise.
But even as Brady’s presence hovers over the franchise, General Manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak feel they can do what they need to do on a daily basis to run the franchise.
Spytek addressed this fact this week in an interview with Up & Adams when host Kay Adams asked if it’ll be difficult to keep Brady out of the QBs room.
“I don’t think it’s going to be hard,” Spytek said. “We both welcome Tom’s insight and his input. But at the same time, I would say Tom has empowered us to run the day-to-day of the Raiders the way that we see fit. And obviously with the right vision and process in place, we’re going to be a very process-driven organization right now. And I think that wouldn’t surprise anybody with the way that Tom has operated throughout his career.
“But I think that Klint and I both feel the support that he’s given us to do the day-to-day stuff the right way and to accentuate the right things, to hold people accountable, especially the quarterback room. There’s no more important room in our building from a players stand point than the quarterback room — everybody knows that. It’s the hardest position in sports to play. So, there’s going to be a high level of accountability and demand that comes with that. But, I think we both are just very appreciative of the way Tom operates and the insights and the knowledge he shares with us. But also, the way that he allows us to do things the right way day-to-day.”
There’s a lot to be determined when it comes to Mendoza’s success and the larger success of the Raiders in the coming season and going forward. But it appears Spytek and Kubiak are going to bear much of the responsibility for the team’s results.
Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza says his clean-cut image shouldn’t be misinterpreted: He’s not always a nice guy.
Asked about what kind of team leader he is, Mendoza says that in leading Indiana to a national championship last season, he sometimes had to get on his teammates’ case, and that’s not something he’s afraid to do.
“If you ask my teammates . . . I wasn’t always a nice guy, I was an a-hole sometimes because I wanted everyone to do their one-eleventh, everyone to do their job, hold everyone to a high standard,” Mendoza told Raiders.com. “However, coming into a new organization, starting from the bottom of the totem pole, I believe that leadership is earned, not given.”
Mendoza said he knows that “I’ve come off as very humble, and pretty fuzzy and warm,” but that outward appearance can be deceiving.
After spending time at the Raiders’ facility following the draft, Mendoza spoke about wanting to return the franchise to its glory years. Those great Raiders teams of old were known for having plenty of a-holes. Mendoza thinks he can be the next great a-hole to wear the Silver and Black.
Before Tom Flores won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the Raiders, he played quarterback in Oakland for seven seasons. He wore No. 15.
The Raiders, who don’t retire jerseys, have issued the number to rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza. It has occurred with the approval of Flores.
“He deserves my blessing,” Flores said, per the team’s official website. “Because if he’s not the real deal, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”
Flores, now 89, had more to say.
“He’s perfect,” Flores said of Mendoza. “He can make every throw. He can make the plays. What can’t he do? He does it all. He’s fun to watch. . . . Plus, he’s a good-looking kid. Like me.”
The blessing from Flores is more ceremonial than substantive. Numerous players have worn the number since Flores last did in 1966. As quarterbacks go, Mike Rae wore it in 1976 and 1977, Jeff Hostetler wore it from 1993 through 1996. Matt Flynn wore it in 2013. Gardner Minshew II wore it in 2024. Kenny Pickett wore it in 2025.
Others to wear the number since Flores include John Stone (2004), Jonnie Lee Higgins (2007-10), Michael Crabtree (2015-17), JJ Nelson (2019), Nelson Agholor (2020), and Jaylon Smith (2023).
With the exception of Rae, the number wasn’t worn at all between Flores and Hostetler. Starting this year, Mendoza will be the third quarterback in three years to wear No. 15 for the Raiders.
The Raiders are surely hoping he’ll be wearing it for at least the next 15 seasons.
Former NFL defensive lineman Josh Mauro died last week, the Raiders announced. He was 35.
The cause of death is unknown.
“The deepest condolences of the Raiders Family are with Josh’s family and friends at this time,” the team wrote.
Mauro went undrafted in 2014 and signed with the Steelers. He spent his rookie season on the practice squads of the Steelers and Cardinals.
He played four seasons with the Cardinals, one with the Giants, one with the Raiders and two more with the Cardinals, last playing in the NFL in 2021.
In his career, Mauro played 80 games with 40 starts and totaled 130 tackles, five sacks, 13 quarterback hits, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
When the Cowboys were on the clock before the 20th pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Eagles called with a trade proposal. The Cowboys accepted, and the Eagles moved up and drafted wide receiver Makai Lemon. In making that deal, Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones disregarded one of the first lessons he ever learned: Don’t trade with a division rival.
That lesson was taught to him by former Raiders owner and General Manager Al Davis, who served as an early mentor when Jones bought the Cowboys. But it’s a lesson Jones said he doesn’t agree with.
“I don’t really pay much attention to who I’m talking to,” Jones said when asked about trading within the NFC East. “Al Davis, probably the first thing he tried to put in my head was, ‘Don’t even answer a call from your division. Jerry, this is all about strategizing against your division opponents because you play them twice and you can’t forget that edge there. That’s a very strategic edge.’ So I didn’t take that lesson from Al.”
Jones has had an inconsistent approach to heeding Davis’s lesson. Last year, when the Eagles wanted to trade for Micah Parsons, Jones wouldn’t even discuss it with them, instead trading him to a non-division opponent, the Packers. But Jones has made other trades with the Eagles, including the 2021 draft-day trade that resulted in the Eagles taking DeVonta Smith and the Cowboys taking Parsons.
Lemon wouldn’t be an Eagle if not for Jones’ help; the Steelers were about to take Lemon at No. 21 before the Eagles got him at No. 20. If Lemon makes big plays twice a year against the Cowboys, Jones may regret ignoring Davis’s advice.
The Saints did not draft any edge rushers over the last few days, but they did add one to the roster in a trade.
They picked up Tyree Wilson in a swap with the Raiders on Sunday and General Manager Mickey Loomis said at a press conference that defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has “a vision” for how the seventh overall pick of the 2023 draft can fit into the team’s defense. Loomis also said that the team will see how that goes before giving any thought to keeping Wilson in New Orleans beyond the 2026 season.
“It’s a one-year trial and we’ll see how it goes,” Loomis said.
Loomis’s answer all but confirms the Saints will pass on picking up Wilson’s fifth-year option, which would guarantee him $14.475 million for the 2027 season. A big year for the Saints could set Wilson up for a bigger payday and that would fall into the category of good problems for the Saints to figure out next offseason.
University of Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy was projected as a first-round draft choice until a medical recheck revealed he could need another knee surgery.
The Raiders ended his long wait, trading up to select him with the first pick in the fourth round.
“I was prepared for whatever, but I was [expected] to go higher,” McCoy said, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “I had a good pro day, ran some good times and did some good things. . . . It’s not in my control, and I’m just truly blessed that the team took me anyway, because it’s an achievement to get here in the first place.”
McCoyn missed all of last season after tearing the ACL in his right knee. Another knee surgery could force him to miss “extensive” time in 2026.
NFL Media reports that McCoy might require surgery to repair a bone plug, which was used to repair a cartilage defect.
“All of my doctors that did my surgery told me [that] I’m good,” McCoy said. “But if there’s something that [the Raiders] want me to do for the longevity of my career, I’m willing to do that because I feel like they have my best interest.”
With a big need at cornerback, the Raiders have rolled the dice on McCoy.
He could prove the steal of the draft if his knee holds up.
The Saints are bringing in a former first-round pick.
Las Vegas has traded edge rusher Tyree Wilson to New Orleans, the teams announced on Saturday.
The Raiders will receive pick No. 150 in this year’s draft in exchange for Wilson and No. 219 in the seventh round.
The No. 7 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Wilson has appeared in 50 games with seven starts for the Raiders over his first three seasons. In 2025, he recorded 4.0 sacks with eight tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. He also had a pair of forced fumbles, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery.
In all, Wilson has tallied 12.0 sacks in his career.
The wait is over for Jermod McCoy.
The Raiders swapped picks with the Bills, trading up to No. 101 to select McCoy with the first pick of the fourth round.
McCoy missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in January of last year. He elected to skip his final year of eligibility to declare for the draft.
His slide was induced by teams who had concerns about the health of his knee.
McCoy was a one-year starter at Tennessee after playing one season at Oregon State. He was a second-team All-SEC honoree in 2024, recording four interceptions.
Buffalo received a 2027 seventh-round pick from Las Vegas to complete the deal.
