John Spytek and the Raiders have 2 of the top 12 contract values in the entire NFL, and he hasn’t had to do much work to get them
John Spytek and the Las Vegas Raiders are lucky to have such great value on a few of their quarterback contracts.
The Las Vegas Raiders had a lot of money to work with this offseason—some of the most in the entire NFL. They used that wisely, improving their defense in several areas, and the offensive line. But how were they able to do that when you have a superstar on your team like Maxx Crosby?
Well, it’s simply, really. They didn’t have a quarterback they were paying an insane amount of money to. Let me rephrase that—they didn’t have an elite quarterback on their roster that they were paying money to. They did, though, have one of the best contracts in the NFL in that room. And now they have two of the best valued contracts in the NFL, both of them in that room.
According to Nick Shook of NFL Media, the Raiders have two of the best 12 contracts in the NFL, and both of them are quarterbacks in Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell. Yes, you read that right—Shook believes O’Connell is an elite contract because of how low it is from him being a fourth-rounder, but also the fact that he has starting experience and has won football games as a starter. He has them both above J.J. McCarthy, and Mendoza just above Michael Penix.
Here are Shook’s ratings on the two in terms of where they stand in the best contracts in the league:
Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell have two of the best QB contracts
10: Fernando Mendoza: Projected 2026 cap number: $10.6 million
It’s time for projection season! Mendoza earned his place as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with some truly incredible performances in his lone season at Indiana, winning the Heisman Trophy and the College Football Playoff National Championship with a collection of courageous, clutch showings, captured perfectly by his pivotal fourth-down touchdown run in the title game. Those attributes should help him plenty at the next level. Just don’t expect to see him show them off right away. Las Vegas is going about this properly, having signed Kirk Cousins as the veteran bridge to help guide Mendoza and lessen the pressure on the rookie. Whenever Mendoza sees the field, we can begin our evaluation. For now, the Raiders got themselves their hopeful answer at the position, someone who offers enough promise to slot him here on this list, above QBs with an actual NFL track record.
12: Aidan O’Connell: 2026 cap number: $3.8 million
“O’Connell has successfully carved out what will be a long career spent as a trusty backup in the NFL. As of now, that includes a rookie contract that is scheduled to account for just $3.8 million in cap space for the Raiders in 2026, a number low enough to afford them the opportunity to sign Cousins and build out a strong three-man quarterback room. Whether his future exists in Las Vegas or elsewhere, O’Connell will continue to cash checks for years to come, and they’ll always be affordable. And when a team is in a pinch, it can toss the former Purdue Boilermaker out there and know he can keep the ship afloat.”
