The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner now has a signed NFL contract, while the runner-up in the voting has an uncertain future in football.
Fernando Mendoza, selected No. 1 in April’s NFL Draft by the Raiders and winner last fall of college football’s top individual prize, completed a four-year, $57.27 million contract with Las Vegas, with a fifth-year team option. The compensation, which will be fully guaranteed, was already established as part of the league’s pre-set rookie scale. Mendoza, however, was the last of the Raiders’ 10-player draft class this year to sign his contract, in part due to ongoing negotiations over the timing of his signing bonus.
Diego Pavia, formerly of Vanderbilt and second to Mendoza in the Heisman Trophy voting, was waived by the Ravens late Thursday, nearly three months after the team brought the quarterback to rookie camp for a tryout and then signed him as an undrafted free agent.
A Study in Contrasts
With the Raiders deal in place, Mendoza will look to be part of a franchise rebuild for a team that has been to the postseason just once since 2017, hasn’t won a postseason game since the 2002 season, and have just two winning seasons since that run to Super Bowl XXXVII 23 years ago.
