Silver And Black Pride
With the Las Vegas Raiders looking for a new quarterback and head coach this offseason, many have speculated that Indiana’s combination of Fernando Mendoza and Curt Cignetti could continue working together in Las Vegas.
The Hoosiers are playing for the College Football National Championship on Monday night, and the Raiders are expected to use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 on Mendoza. So, keeping that head coach-quarterback together is a intruiging option for many in Raider Nation.
However, ahead of the title bout against the Miami Hurricanes, Cignetti shot down any rumors about him making the jump to the pros.
“I’m not an NFL guy. I made that decision a long time ago when I went with Chuck Amato to NC State in 2000. I had a chance to go with the Packers,” Cignetti said Saturday, Jan. 17 from CFP media day in Miami (h/t Indy Star’s John Leuzzi). “… I declined the opportunity. I almost took it. That’s when I made the final decision, and I’ve always been more of a college football guy.”
The 64-year-old, who turns 65 in June, has been in coaching since 1983 and has never left the college ranks. Also, he signed a contract extension with Indiana earlier this season. So, keeping the Mendoza-Cignetti tandem together with the Raiders always seemed more like a hypothetical connection than a legitimate option. Meanwhile, the organization is moving on to second interviews with candidates this week, holding a few meetings in Miami as the team’s brass watches its next quarterback, presumptively, on Monday night.
