Raiders Clips
Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza skipped Indiana’s visit to the White House so that he could focus on his current job. He didn’t skip last weekend’s NFLPA Rookie Premiere.
It sounds like he wanted to.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you,” Mendoza told Gilbert Manzano of SI.com (via Chris Franklin of NJ.com). “I’d rather be practicing right now and I was really upset about actually having to miss practice for this. Although it’s great. . . . It’s still been a great moment to where it was mandatory I be here. I’m not going to feel sorry for myself and feel wishy-washy.”
And so Mendoza did what he always seems to do — he fully embraced the situation he was in.
“I’m going to have a smile on my face and make the most of that present moment,” Mendoza said. “Live and learn all the [NFLPA] benefits, make all the connections with different mentors here, let me make sure I can maximize my time to be able to create a positive impact and learn about my situation and surroundings. So those are all things that I really benefited from being here.”
Mendoza apparently didn’t miss any of the team’s formal OTA sessions for the NFLPA event, which ran from Friday, May 14, through Sunday, May 17. The first OTA happened on Monday, May 18.
The NFLPA Rookie Premiere isn’t technically mandatory for the players. But the teams are required under the CBA to allow them to attend. Per Article 21, Section 7: “Invited Rookies will be permitted by their respective Clubs to attend the NFL Players Rookie Premiere provided that: (i) such event is scheduled during the month of May; (ii) such event encompasses a maximum of four consecutive days, including both a Saturday and a Sunday; and (iii) the NFLPA provides the NFL with the dates for the next Rookie Premiere not later than February 1 of each year.”
Raiders fans should be happy that Mendoza is all in. Although there’s no guarantee that he’ll become the team’s much-needed, year-to-year franchise quarterback, he’s committed to doing everything in his power to get there.
As his 13th NFL season approaches, receiver Davante Adams has a chance to make a big move on the list of all-time receptions.
His 60 catches in 2025, Adams’s first year with the Rams, put him at No. 16 on the career catch list with 1,017.
As noted by Evan Craig of SB Nation, Adams needs only seven catches to match Rams legend and Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce at No. 15. Beyond that, Adams needs seven more to catch Steve Smith Sr. at No. 14.
Another 60-catch season would put Adams in the top 10, one reception ahead of Anquan Boldin and one behind Terrell Owens. (Free-agent Keenan Allen, currently at 1,055 catches, may have something to say about whether Adams finishes 2026 at No. 10 or No. 11.)
It’s unclear how much longer the 33-year-old Adams will play. But he’s in position to eventually pass Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., who’s currently fifth with 1,102 receptions. Entering 2026, Adams is only 86 catches away from doing that.
Adams is already seventh in career touchdown receptions, with 117. He has led the league three times — and he’s the only player to do that with three different teams (Packers, Raiders, Rams).
Last year, he had 14 in only 14 games. With another 14 touchdown catches this year, Adams will occupy the No. 4 spot on the all-time list at 131, behind only Jerry Rice (197), Randy Moss (156), and Terrell Owens (153).
Already, Adams has put together a borderline Hall of Fame resume. By the time he’s done, it could be a no-brainer.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak thinks running back Ashton Jeanty can do more in his second year in the league.
Jeanty got a big workload as a rookie last year, carrying 266 times for 975 yards and adding 55 catches for 346 yards. But Kubiak, the Raiders’ first-year coach, wants to give the ball to Jeanty more.
“We want to put a lot of pressure on Ashton,” Kubiak said. “The next guy that steps up, whoever that may be, that’s going to be seen here in practice, OTAs and training camp, but we think we should continue to challenge Ashton and get more out of him. It’s important to have a quality second back, but the best player has got to play, and we’ve got to get them on the field as much as we can. I don’t know the play-snap percentage, but you look at [49ers running back] Christian McCaffrey, his play-snap percentage is high. So, those great backs, they don’t want to come off the field.”
McCaffrey played 83 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps last season. Jeanty played 78 percent of the Raiders’ offensive snaps last season. If things go according to Kubiak’s plan, Jeanty will play even more than he did as a rookie, get the ball even more than he did as a rookie, and produce even more than he did as a rookie.
Former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III, the first receiver taken in the 2021 draft, is serving a sentence of three to 10 years after pleading guilty to DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He’ll soon be eligible for parole.
Via Mark Inabinett of AL.com, Ruggs has initiated the process of seeking his release. He recently appeared before the Nevada Board of Parole on Monday to make his case for early release.
In November 2021, Ruggs collided with a car driven by 23-year-old Tina Tintor. At the time of impact, Ruggs’s Corvette was traveling 127 miles per hour. His blood-alcohol concentration was measured to be 0.161 percent.
“Not a minute goes by where I don’t think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community,” Ruggs told the parole board. “I’m a religious person and pray for her family daily.”
Ruggs’s earliest possible parole date is August 5, 2026.
Last year, Ruggs was moved from a minimum-security transitional housing facility to a medium-security prison, due to unspecified rules violations. It’s unknown whether and to what extent those violations will impact his opportunity to receive parole. As of June 2024, Ruggs was working outside the facility, at the Nevada governor’s mansion.
In June 2025, Ruggs made it clear that he would love to return to football. If/when he receives parole, the NFL will have to decide whether he’ll be cleared to sign with a team. If/when he is, a team will have to decide whether to sign him.
In 20 career games, with 19 starts, Ruggs caught 50 passes for 921 yards and four touchdowns. The Raiders released Ruggs on the same day the crash occurred.
USA Football soon will step into the spotlight, when it comes to figuring out the members of the 2028 Olympics flag football team. To assist that process, USA Football has made a key hire.
The sport’s national governing body announced on Thursday that former NFL fullback Marcel Reece has become the group’s Senior Vice President of Football Strategy & Operations.
Per the press release, USA Football explains that Reece now oversees the “football operation, driving the strategy, vision and success of the organization’s national team programs, Olympic and high-performance pathways, scouting and talent identification, athlete development and grassroots growth, as well as USA Football’s events portfolio.”
“In a short time with USA Football, Marcel has already made meaningful contributions to our organization,” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said. “With the Olympics on the horizon and the game growing at every level, this is exactly the right time to bring him on board full-time. His background as both a player and an executive brings a perspective that is truly unique and will strengthen everything our team has built, positioning us well for 2028 and beyond.”
A three-time Pro Bowler, the 40-year-old Reece primarily played for the Raiders. He spent three years working in the Raiders’ front office.
“Flag football’s Olympic debut in Los Angeles is a historic moment for the sport, and I’m proud to be part of this organization as we prepare for it,” Reece said.
USA Football plans to announce its selection process for the men’s national team for the 2028 Olympics later this year. Reece will now be heavily involved in that process.
The Raiders selected quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall last month.
But Las Vegas also has Kirk Cousins, who is — at this point — expected to begin the season as the club’s QB1.
As a veteran quarterback who’s familiar with the offensive system, Cousins is showing command at the position, with the Raiders getting their OTAs started this week.
“Yeah, he’s a professional. He’s played a lot of football. He’s a leader that we’re counting on right now,” Kubiak told reporters on Wednesday. “You see that side of him when it gets competitive, that was fun to get that move the ball period and get guys off of scripts and see how they respond, and you see the fire come out, and that’s what I want from our guys.”
Given that it’s still May, Kubiak has not yet officially named a starting quarterback. But he noted that the players will be the ones to really make that decision.
“It’s going to reveal itself, especially in training camp,” Kubiak said. “But it’s going to reveal itself here in these next how many do we have? Eight OTAs, these minicamp practices. But yeah, we definitely would [like to name a QB], but [we’ll] let the players figure that out for us with their tape.”
With Atlanta last season, Cousins completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty came into the league with high expectations last season, but he didn’t quite reach them during a dismal year in Las Vegas.
Jeanty averaged 3.7 yards per carry and only had four games when he picked up more than 100 yards from scrimmage. Some of the blame for his struggles could be attributed to an offensive line that didn’t offer many holes and poor quarterback play that did little to open up the field, but there’s not much to do to dress up what was a disappointing rookie campaign.
On Wednesday, Jeanty discussed his hope for better results in Year 2 and said that drilling down on what he’s seeing on the field has helped him feel more prepared for what’s coming his way in Year 2.
“Just focusing in more on the details, what the defense is doing, how we’re blocking things, coverage, all that type of stuff,” Jeanty said, via the team’s website. “So, it’s definitely slowing down, and I think it’s also just repetition as well. The more you rep it, the more the game slows down.”
The Raiders hope that they’ve solved some of the other issues that made them the lowest-scoring team in the league last year and a jump forward for Jeanty would be a welcome jolt as well.
The Raiders drafted Fernando Mendoza to be their quarterback of the future. The No. 1 overall pick has been “as advertised” thus far, coach Klint Kubiak said Wednesday.
"[He has] not disappointed,” Kubiak said, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “He’s working his tail off. It’s very important to him that he asks a lot of great questions when he gets on the field. He’s no B.S.; he’s all ball.”
The Raiders are easing Mendoza into the offense, with Kirk Cousins taking first-team reps, followed by Aidan O’Connell and then Mendoza.
Kubiak has repeatedly said he would prefer that a rookie quarterback not start Day 1, and the sportsbooks like Cousins to start Week 1. But the Raiders are giving Mendoza every chance to win the job.
Mendoza is going the extra mile, putting in the work, asking questions and taking notes.
“Anything that you put in front of him, he’s going to attack it,” Kubiak said. “Anything new, he spends extra time on. You can tell he fixes things from one day to the next.”
Defensive end Maxx Crosby’s unexpected return to the Raiders has not included a return to the practice field yet.
Crosby remains out after having knee surgery this offseason, but he was on the field to stretch with his teammates ahead of Wednesday’s organized team activity. Crosby may not do much more than that this spring as head coach Klint Kubiak said that the focus remains on making sure that he’s ready to go when training camp opens in August.
“Yeah, we do. That’s the goal,” Kubiak said. “He’s still the first one in this building every day, working. He’s a leader on our team, and when he’s out there, you feel his presence. And yes, we’re counting on him being there for training camp, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Maxx was ahead of schedule.”
Crosby was set to join the Ravens in March, but Baltimore called off the trade and Crosby returned to the Raiders after a 2025 season that featured some acrimony with the organization. Kubiak said that Crosby’s approach to the offseason has shown he “knows we’re counting on him to be a leader” before and after he’s healthy enough for a full return to action.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak hasn’t been in his job long, but he’s been in it long enough to know who one of the cornerstones of his team will be this season.
Tight end Brock Bowers had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, but an early-season knee injury forced him to play at less than 100 percent and miss time during his second year. The 2024 first-round pick had 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games, but it doesn’t sound like any of the knee issues have been troubling Bowers this offseason.
Kubiak called Bowers a “standard bearer” for the organization and had a colorful description of what’s impressed him most about Bowers on the field.
“He’s kind of a football robot, in a good way,” Kubiak said at a Wednesday press conference. “He’s a football robot from heaven. You know, he’s a Cadillac out there. We gotta get the most out of Brock. Wherever he goes, he’s been successful.”
The Raiders have followed up the Bowers selection by taking running back Ashton Jeanty and quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the first round of the last two drafts. If all goes as hoped in Vegas, the trio will be the centerpiece of a lot of winning during the Kubiak era.
