NFL Offseason Buzz: Raiders Zero In on Mendoza as Kelce Shifts Broadcasting Gears
The NFL offseason is already in full swing, bringing major shakeups both on the field and in the broadcast booth. While franchises at the bottom of the barrel look to rebuild their rosters through the draft, retired legends are continuing to carve out their spaces in sports media.
Raiders Zero In on Fernando Mendoza
For the Las Vegas Raiders, holding the number one overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft presents a seemingly obvious choice. The team desperately needs a franchise quarterback, and Fernando Mendoza checks just about every box. Fresh off a national championship run with the Indiana Hoosiers and a Heisman Trophy win, Mendoza sits atop nearly every draft board. He directly addresses the most glaring hole in the Raiders’ roster, making his arrival in Vegas feel like a foregone conclusion.
While he won’t be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine, opting instead to showcase his arm at his college Pro Day in April, the Raiders will still use the Combine for crucial sit-down interviews. Character assessment can make or break a prospect’s draft stock, but right now, Mendoza is the heavy favorite.
A Desperate Need for a Winner
Officially, the Raiders are keeping their options open. Behind the scenes, however, Head Coach Klint Kubiak isn’t hiding his admiration for the young quarterback’s pedigree. Kubiak recently pointed to Mendoza’s championship experience as a major selling point.
“Obviously, he’s been successful,” Kubiak noted. “He had a ton of success last season. He won the national championship. And that’s exactly what you want. You want a winner.”
Kubiak mentioned he wants the entire coaching staff heavily involved in evaluating the quarterback position, wanting everyone’s input on the decision. But the final call will likely also involve minority owner Tom Brady. Given the franchise’s dismal 3-14 finish in 2025 and a playoff drought stretching back to 2021, the legendary quarterback’s input on drafting a proven winner is going to carry serious weight as the team attempts a massive turnaround.
Kelce Reevaluates His Late-Night Experiment
Meanwhile, away from the gridiron, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is tweaking his own post-retirement playbook. His ambitious late-night talk show, They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce, won’t be returning to ESPN for the 2026 season.
Launched last January shortly after he inked a $24 million deal to join Monday Night Countdown, the five-episode experiment tried to blend traditional late-night television with NFL storylines. Taped in Philadelphia and airing in the graveyard slot at 1 a.m. ET on Fridays, the premiere managed to pull in 290,000 viewers.
According to Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann, the decision to pull the plug was mutual. Kelce simply wanted to explore other offseason opportunities rather than commit to another run of the grueling talk show format. ESPN executive Burke Magnus previously mentioned the network wasn’t overly concerned with ratings for the short-run series, calling the show’s future evaluation a little bit more art than science. The network reportedly remains highly supportive of Kelce and plans to collaborate with the 38-year-old on different projects moving forward.
Swapping the Turf for the Ice
Fans won’t have to wait long to see his next broadcasting pivot. Kelce is temporarily stepping away from his football desk to cover a completely different sport.
This weekend, he will act as a special correspondent for the NHL Stadium Series matchup at Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins. ESPN is giving him what they describe as the best seat in the house right down at ice level. He is slated to rotate through various special guests during the broadcast, joining an on-site studio crew that features hockey heavyweights Steve Levy, Mark Messier, and P.K. Subban.
