Black Monday in 2026 pushed several teams into the head coach market for next season, and naturally, Curt Cignetti’s name began to surface after his brilliant work at Indiana, which earned the program the top ranking in the country and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Despite no concrete interest being reported by the media, a former NFL general manager raised the possibility of Cignetti joining an AFC team in a double move that would bring the head coach together with quarterback Fernando Mendoza through the draft.
Las Vegas Raiders Could Pursue Indiana’s Curt Cignetti For Head Coach Spot
Among the most frustrating seasons in the NFL in 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders certainly sit at the top of the list, finishing with the league’s worst record at just three wins and securing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, all in the same year they brought in Geno Smith and Pete Carroll in an attempt to restore a winning culture.
Positioned to select a quarterback in the draft, the hottest name is Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy for his performance leading Indiana this season and is expected to be the first player selected in the upcoming draft process.
Former general manager Mike Tannenbaum suggested that Las Vegas could also bring in a college head coach to form an offensive duo for the next several years, a move that would signal the start of a new era for the franchise.
“If you get Fernando Mendoza, and in my opinion, someone like Curt Cignetti, who I think would be a fascinating hire, that could be truly transformational,” Tannenbaum said on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “The data is overwhelming that college coaches fail, but what in Curt Cignetti’s background would lead you to believe that he wouldn’t be successful?”
While this is nothing more than a suggestion from Tannenbaum, the possibility of bringing in Cignetti and Mendoza could represent a natural transition from college football to the professional level for the quarterback. Indiana runs a system heavily focused on RPOs, and there are concerns about Mendoza’s adaptation to the NFL.
If the Raiders choose to follow this path, the duo could find a way to adapt what already works for Mendoza and start on the same page from day one, something that would benefit Las Vegas after a 2025 season that left a clear bitter taste among fans, with the feeling that the entire team was never truly on the same page.
The firing of Carroll after just one year in charge makes it clear that the Raiders are ready to move forward with a full rebuild, potentially including the departure of stars like Maxx Crosby.
It is not an ideal scenario to begin a new job, but the Indiana duo already knows each other and could emerge as an alternative built around a fresh philosophy.
