Raiders want to sign available Super Bowl champion QB to help Fernando Mendoza

The Las Vegas Raiders almost certainly are going to draft Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

That doesn't mean he's their only quarterback move remaining this offseason, though.

The Raiders sent Geno Smith to the New York Jets in a trade, and that means they likely need to bring aboard a different veteran QB to serve as a mentor and a potential bridge to Mendoza.

It's already been expressed that the Raiders won't rush to start Mendoza in Week 1, so having someone else capable of starting football games could also be key.

The guy they might target? A 41-year old Super Bowl champion.

No, not Aaron Rodgers, but Joe Flacco.

“Joe Flacco, who’s been around, has started a lot of games. He is available. He is weighing options right now,” NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said recently on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “Speaking of Vegas, I’m told that that is an option for him, that they would have interest in potentially bringing him along, as a backup/bridge, if Fernando Mendoza needs to sit a little bit, assuming they draft him, which they will.”

MORE: Why the Kansas City Chiefs traded for Justin Fields

Flacco has bounced around in the latter stages of his career after his most well-known run with the Baltimore Ravens that included a Super Bowl title.

He began the 2025 season with the Cleveland Browns and started games there before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, with whom he also started while filling in for an injured Joe Burrow.

Flacco has certainly seen and done just about everything in the league and would be a great potential mentor for Mendoza. He likely has other suitors, too, given his experience and wisdom, so the Raiders will probably have to make a strong pitch to get Flacco to come aboard.

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