To be first in the draft next spring, the Las Vegas Raiders simply need to avoid winning their final game of the 2025 season.
Dominated 34-10 by the New York Giants on Sunday, the Nevada club is the only NFL team that has won only two games heading into the final week of regular season activities.
• Also read: Drake Maye, Most Valuable Player?
• Also read: An impressive first lap for Antoine Deslauriers in the NCAA
The Raiders will host the Kansas City Chiefs late Sunday afternoon. There are currently four teams with a 3-13 record in the Goodell League: the Giants, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.
There is only one possible scenario in which the Las Vegas club loses the first round of the next draft. The Raiders would have to beat the Chiefs and the Giants would have to lose to the Dallas Cowboys.
As both teams would boast records of 3-14, it is the “Strength of Schedule” that would be used to break the tie. This is a statistic that indicates the difficulty level of the opponents a team faces. The Big Apple organization would thus receive the first choice.
The great means
The Raiders really seem to want to be the first to draw among the prospects in 2026, even if it means alienating their best player.
They placed defensive end Maxx Crosby on the long-term injured list before the game against the Giants because of a lingering knee injury. The 28-year-old star player’s 2025 campaign is therefore over.
Getty Images via AFP
According to Jay Glazer, from the FOX Sports network, the quarterback hunter would not agree with this decision, however.
“I’ve been on the phone with Maxx a lot over the last few days and he’s not happy,” the journalist said on Sunday. He said to me, ‘Jay, I play football. That’s what I do. I’ve had a knee injury since the third week and I’ve been playing with it all that time. They told me they were going to rule me out, and I said, ‘No, absolutely not. I play football. “There’s no sidelining for me. I want to be on the field. I want to be there with my teammates.” This was simply unacceptable to Maxx.”
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, Crosby is one of the most dominant players at his position. He also signed an imposing three-year, $106.5 million contract during the last off-season.
At the last NFL trade deadline, he indicated he wanted to stay with the Raiders, despite their failures. Crosby might have changed his tune.
“He told the team he didn’t want to be traded anywhere else. I don’t know if that’s still the case,” Glazer said, adding that there were already “about 20 teams” who had called him to find out the real chances of the Raiders trading Crosby this offseason.
Need a quarterback
The Raiders are having a horrible campaign, after making numerous changes last winter and spring.
The club, which has not participated in the playoffs since 2021, hired experienced Pete Carroll as head coach and made a transaction with the Seattle Seahawks to get their hands on quarterback Geno Smith.
The performance of the 35-year-old pivot was very disappointing. In 15 games, Smith completed 67.4% of his passes for 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was also the victim of 17 interceptions, in addition to suffering 55 quarterback sacks.
The consensus is that the Raiders will draft a quarterback with their first-round selection next April, as they already have some interesting young assets on offense in running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.
Here are the three quarterbacks who could be the chosen one in Las Vegas:
Getty Images via AFP
Fernando Mendoza – Indiana Hoosiers
- 22 ans
- 6’5″ and 225 lbs
- 33 games of experience, including 32 starts, in 3 seasons in the NCAA
- Statistics in 2025: 13 matches | 71.5% | 2980 yards | 33 touchdowns | 6 interceptions
Mendoza has just won the Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the best player in the first division in the NCAA. He is considered by the majority of experts to be the quarterback of his vintage best equipped to have an impact upon his arrival among the professionals.
Getty Images via AFP
Ty Simpson – Alabama Crimson Tide
- 23 ans
- 6’2″ and 208 lbs
- 30 games of experience, including 14 starts, in 4 seasons in the NCAA
- Statistics in 2025: 14 matches | 64.1% | 3500 yards | 28 touchdowns | 5 interceptions
Mobile and precise, Simpson appears to have the tools to play in the NFL. His lack of experience due to the fact that he got all his starts in the NCAA last campaign and his lack of consistency could, however, cool some teams.
Getty Images via AFP
And Moore – Ducks of the l’Oregon
- 20 ans
- 6’3″ and 206 lbs
- 27 games of experience, including 18 starts, in 3 seasons in the NCAA
- Statistics in 2025: 13 matches | 72.4% | 3046 yards | 28 touchdowns | 8 interceptions
The young man is probably the best passer available. He reads defensive coverages with impressive speed, but misfires with his short passes. He also has obvious limitations when it comes to his mobility. His slight build could be a problem in the NFL, especially if he ends up on a team with a poor offensive line.
In collaboration with our partners
Related reading
