With the Las Vegas Raiders looking for a new quarterback and head coach this offseason, many have speculated that Indiana’s combination of Fernando Mendoza and Curt Cignetti could continue working together in Las Vegas.
The Hoosiers are playing for the College Football National Championship on Monday night, and the Raiders are expected to use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 on Mendoza. So, keeping that head coach-quarterback together is a intruiging option for many in Raider Nation.
However, ahead of the title bout against the Miami Hurricanes, Cignetti shot down any rumors about him making the jump to the pros.
“I’m not an NFL guy. I made that decision a long time ago when I went with Chuck Amato to NC State in 2000. I had a chance to go with the Packers,” Cignetti said Saturday, Jan. 17 from CFP media day in Miami (h/t Indy Star’s John Leuzzi). “… I declined the opportunity. I almost took it. That’s when I made the final decision, and I’ve always been more of a college football guy.”
The 64-year-old, who turns 65 in June, has been in coaching since 1983 and has never left the college ranks. Also, he signed a contract extension with Indiana earlier this season. So, keeping the Mendoza-Cignetti tandem together with the Raiders always seemed more like a hypothetical connection than a legitimate option. Meanwhile, the organization is moving on to second interviews with candidates this week, holding a few meetings in Miami as the team’s brass watches its next quarterback, presumptively, on Monday night.
In Other Raiders’ Links:
- Raiders on verge of fulfilling Rooney rule: According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill, the Silver and Black have in-person interviews scheduled with former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and current Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, which would satisfy the requirement to meet with two minority candidates outside of the organization.
- Where does Mendoza rank in recent draft classes: Diving into how the Indiana product stacks up against the last three quarterback classes in this week’s mailbag column.
- RIP Claude “Hoot” Gibson: The former Raiders defensive back passed away over the weekend, the team announced. Gibson was one of Al Davis’ original players in 1962, as Davis brought him over from San Diego.
- Klay Kubiak completes interview: After the San Francisco 49ers were eliminated by the Seattle Seahawks and Klay’s brother Klint, who is also in the running for Las Vegas’ head coach opening, the Raiders announced they’ve completed an interview with the 49ers’ offensive coordinator.
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