New face of the franchise gives the Raiders a chance to return to glory

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Top pick Fernando Mendoza isn’t a sure thing. No rookie quarterback is.

But the Raiders have surrounded him with reasons for optimism — a first-year head coach in Klint Kubiak who has spent his career understanding the position, and Tom Brady nearby, one of the greatest football minds the game has produced. And the quarterback room will include the recently signed Kirk Cousins, a veteran signal caller with a strong reputation and understanding of Kubiak's offense to assist in the rookie's development.

The infrastructure is there, with caveats. The offensive line is much improved but still unproven. The receiving corps leans heavily on tight end Brock Bowers and a collection of question marks. It’s a foundation, not a finished product.

Now it’s on Mendoza to grow into the offense — and, ideally, to elevate it.

The Raiders have made just two playoff appearances since losing the 2003 Super Bowl to Tampa Bay, a slow bleed of coaching instability, poor drafting and brutal divisional geography. The AFC West — home to the Chiefs, Broncos and Chargers — has a legitimate claim as the toughest division in football.

The West has painfully chewed this franchise up for years.

A smart, dedicated quarterback won’t be an overnight fix. Mendoza is one player, after all.

But he’s one player at the most important position in the sport, in a league where sustained winning begins and ends with quarterback play.

The Raiders have cycled through Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew and Geno Smith since arriving in Las Vegas. Whatever the flaws elsewhere on the roster — and there have been plenty — it’s nearly impossible to win leaning on Minshew or Smith.

Nobody predicted the Raiders would make the playoffs with Smith under center. It’s hard to invest in a franchise when the quarterback gives you nothing to believe in.

Mendoza is different — and for reasons that go beyond what he does on the field.

His selection Thursday carries another significance, one that tends to get lost in the football conversation: The Raiders desperately need a face of the franchise. Six seasons into their Las Vegas era, they still haven’t given the local fanbase someone to truly call their own.

Some will say Maxx Crosby fits the bill, and his appeal is undeniable. But he’s a defensive lineman who doesn’t score touchdowns — and the Raiders have strung together four straight losing seasons, scraping together just seven wins over the past two campaigns.

Crosby is an exceptional player, a potential Hall of Famer if his career continues the way it has gone so far. He’s got the Raiders emblem tattooed on his biceps. But he’ll also turn 29 before the start of the season in a league where the average age of retirement for players at his position is 28 to 30. And while no one in the building is a harder worker and he says he’s committed to the franchise, both he and the organization not two months ago came close to parting ways before a trade to Baltimore fell through.

When a team spends the first overall pick in the draft on a quarterback, that quarterback is expected to become the face of the franchise.

And Mendoza is someone fans can grab onto.

Overlooked by top college programs coming out of high school, he ground his way to a Heisman Trophy, a national title and a perfect 16-0 record at Indiana. The championship-clinching moment said everything: absorbing contact on a fourth-down quarterback draw, spinning into the air and stretching the ball across the goal line against Miami.

By all accounts he’s mature, hard-working and obsessive about preparation — reports already have him knee-deep in the Raiders’ playbook. Off the field, he’s a natural. His interviews crackle with a goofy, genuine exuberance; he wears his emotions on his sleeve without apology.

In an era of guarded, media-trained athletes, that’s downright refreshing.

That sincerity will appeal to young and old alike — and to residents who aren’t necessarily football fans. Mendoza, who is of Cuban descent and addressed his grandparents in Spanish during his Heisman Trophy speech, will resonate deeply with Las Vegas’ Latino community. The city is roughly 34% Latino. You can already picture the sea of Mendoza jerseys.

Yes, there will be a lot of attention on the Raiders’ new quarterback. There will also be a lot of pressure.

That’s a good thing.

Brighter days seem close for a franchise that may have finally found the piece to reverse its fortunes and usher in another winning era. In the six years since arriving in Las Vegas, the Raiders have proven themselves charitable, a genuine boost to the local economy and steeped in tradition.

It’s time the Raider tradition again includes winning.

If Mendoza is as good as the Raiders believe he can be, those days may be closer than they appear. Fernando Mendoza might be the city’s next great legend.