Only two of the 32 players selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft remain unsigned. They are the only two quarterbacks taken in the first round. Most notably, Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, has yet to sign his rookie contract.
Mendoza's exact deal has been known ever since rookie pool numbers (i.e., first-year salary cap numbers) were released to NFL teams and agents on April 28, three days after the conclusion of the draft. That's because there are few negotiable items in rookie contracts after the 2011 NFL collective bargaining agreement implemented a rookie wage scale.
Each draft pick has a salary floor and ceiling based on draft position. The rookie pool number is crucial because it helps determine a contract's overall value. All rookie contracts are four years in length, although teams hold an option for a fifth year with first-round picks that must be exercised by May 1 after the third year of the deal.
As the first overall pick, Mendoza will sign the following deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
- Signing bonus: $38,111,344
- Fully guaranteed at signing: $57,270,598
- Total: $57,270,598
- Contract length: Four years
- Average per year: $14,317,650
| Year | Base Salary | 3rd Day Training Camp Roster Bonus | Bonus Proration | Salary Cap Number | Cumulative Cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $885,000 | -- | $9,527,836 | $10,412,836 | $38,996,344 |
| 2027 | $1,050,000 | $2,438,209 | $9,527,836 | $13,016,045 | $42,484,553 |
| 2028 | $1,165,000 | $4,926,418 | $9,527,836 | $15,619,254 | $48,575,971 |
| 2029 | $1,280,000 | $7,414,627 | $9,527,836 | $18,222,463 | $57,270,598 |
The streamlining of negotiations under the rookie wage scale has significantly accelerated the signing process. The primary negotiating issue, particularly at the top of the draft, is the payment schedule for the signing bonus. Two other important considerations are whether salary guarantees will have offsets and the language governing the voiding of those guarantees.
Mendoza is probably unsigned because of the difference between the recent trend for signing bonus payments to first overall picks and the Raiders' standard signing bonus payment schedule for their first-round picks.
Why Mendoza hasn't signed
Large signing bonuses in NFL contracts typically aren't paid in a single lump sum. The exception is that lump-sum signing bonus payments have become customary for the first overall pick. The last time a first overall pick didn't receive his signing bonus in a single payment was quarterback Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
The second overall pick occasionally receives his signing bonus in a lump sum as well. That was the case with 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter last year. Hunter, who signed his rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on June 22, received his $30,566,628 signing bonus on July 15.
All six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 draft also received their signing bonuses in a single payment. Bo Nix was the lowest-selected quarterback among the group, going 12th overall to the Denver Broncos.
The Raiders haven't been paying first-round pick signing bonuses in a lump sum. The payment schedule for the previous three first-round picks -- Ashton Jeanty (2025, sixth overall), Brock Bowers (2024, 13th overall) and Tyree Wilson (2023, seventh overall) -- was 77.5% within 15 days of signing, 12.5% in mid-September and the final 10% in mid-October. Jeanty, Bowers and Wilson signed their respective contracts on May 9, May 10 and May 12, coinciding with the Raiders' three-day rookie minicamp.
Under the Raiders' typical payment structure, Mendoza would receive $29.563 million in his first installment, which is less than the entire signing bonus Hunter received in a lump-sum payment last year. David Bailey, the second overall pick in 2026, received $28,978,749 of his $36,223,436 signing bonus -- 80% of the total -- one week after signing on May 15.
The Ty Simpson factor
Quarterback Ty Simpson, who was selected 13th overall by the Los Angeles Rams, could complicate or clarify matters for Mendoza. Simpson's camp is probably insisting that the Rams extend the 2024 quarterback payment convention to him since he was drafted one slot lower than Nix.
Simpson was fortunate to be drafted by the Rams from a contractual standpoint. Nearly every team besides the Jaguars and Rams requires offsets with salary guarantees for draft picks, including those selected in the top 10. An offset clause allows a team to reduce the guaranteed money owed to a player upon release by the amount of his new deal with another team. Without offsets, a player receives his salary from the team that released him in addition to the full salary from his new contract, a practice commonly known as "double dipping."
Based on past practices, Simpson's contract with the Rams shouldn't contain offsets. The last time the Rams had a first-round pick, edge rusher Jared Verse in 2024, his contract did not contain offsets in the salary guarantees despite being the 19th overall selection.
The Raiders will have a difficult time justifying their typical payment schedule to Mendoza if the quarterback selected 12 spots later receives his signing bonus in a lump sum and without offsets. The 2025 first overall pick, Cam Ward, received his $32,159,712 signing bonus from the Tennessee Titans within a month of signing. At a minimum, the Raiders should be willing to match Ward's signing bonus amount in the first installment, which would equal 84.38% of Mendoza's signing bonus.
It's one thing to pay Simpson's $14,941,568 signing bonus in a single installment. It's a different story when the lump-sum payment is more than 2.5 times larger with Mendoza.
Will the Raiders blink?
There will be a tipping point on lump-sum payments for first overall picks if the tremendous growth in signing bonuses over the last two years continues. The increase is nearly 50% since Caleb Williams received $25,537,132 from the Chicago Bears in 2024. Mendoza's signing bonus is 18.51% larger than Ward's. A similar increase next year would put the signing bonus for the 2027 top pick in the neighborhood of $45 million.
It would be interesting to see whether Mendoza would miss any training camp out of principle if the Raiders hold the line on his signing bonus payment schedule. The 17th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Shemar Stewart, missed six days of Cincinnati Bengals training camp last year over the language governing the voiding of guarantees in the event of a breach or default. The Bengals ultimately secured their preferred language by giving Stewart a more favorable signing bonus payment schedule than their recent first-round picks.
