It has been a rough few years for the Las Vegas Raiders. In addition to their laundry list of personal struggles as a franchise, making matters even more difficult has been that the rest of the AFC West has had no problem contending for AFC Championships and Super Bowls in that same window.
If not for a cheap Week 18 win against the Kansas City Chiefs with hardly any starters playing, Las Vegas would be 0-12 in divisional matchups since the end of the 2023 NFL season. Every year, they've been losing more and more ground to their bitter rivals.
But this offseason saw the tide turn a bit, as the Raiders made several potentially franchise-altering moves. None was bigger than the selection of Fernando Mendoza at the top of the draft board, and it seems like Las Vegas' young player is already instilling some fear in the Denver Broncos' fanbase.
Broncos fans are now weary of Las Vegas Raiders after Fernando Mendoza pick
Whereas the Los Angeles Chargers writers got a bit out over their skis once Mendoza was selected, the Broncos' writers were the polar opposite. Lou Scataglia of Predominately Orange, FanSided's dedicated Broncos page, actually believes the Mendoza pick sends a stark message to Denver.
"The Broncos have also swept the Las Vegas Raiders in each of the past two seasons, so in a way, the Broncos are getting 'free' wins by beating the dysfunctional franchise," Scataglia wrote. "However, the Raiders may have taken a giant step forward on day one of the 2026 NFL Draft, having taken Fernando Mendoza first overall. And in doing this, the Raiders just sent the Broncos a very ominous message."
The shot at the Raiders being dysfunctional is almost obligatory for an AFC West foe, but it sounds like Broncos Country is at least a bit worried about Mendoza. Scataglia even noted that Bo Nix, Denver's golden boy, wasn't as good a prospect as Mendoza coming out of college.
"With the Raiders, they've surely known for months now that Mendoza was going to be their guy, and despite it being a weaker quarterback class, Mendoza is a very good prospect," Scataglia conceded. "He also probably would have been a better prospect than Nix had the two been in the same class - the former Indiana quarterback profiles as a pure pocket passer with functional mobility but top-notch processing."
Now, it takes a lot for a Broncos fan to concede any point about a quarterback being better than Nix. And Denver fans know first-hand what a difference adding a young signal-caller into the mix can do for a team. But Mendoza is clearly special enough to be held in the same regard by opposing fans.
Scataglia went on to talk about how Mendoza is in the same mold as Joe Burrow and Jared Goff, which is very good company to be in. And he acknowledged that the Raiders just took a huge step toward contention. But this one-liner from Scataglia is what Las Vegas fans should hold on to:
"Folks, the Raiders of old might truly be gone."Broncos writer Lou Scataglia
Perhaps Raider Nation hasn't just been infected by Mendoza madness. Maybe he is a legitimate solution for the Silver and Black at the undisputed most important position in sports. Las Vegas seems to think so, and Broncos fans are now worried that we've been right all along.