Seahawks likely to face No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in 2026

With the 2026 NFL draft officially in the books, the final piece of the offseason puzzle left will be the release of the upcoming season schedule. Although the Seattle Seahawks do not know when they will face their opponents, they do know who they are and where they'll play them... and one such opponent will be a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

This particular matchup brings plenty of intrigue, as the Seahawks will be facing a former coach of theirs. No, not Pete Carroll, as many had anticipated. But former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is now Vegas' head coach. Kubiak helped Seattle win their second Super Bowl in franchise history, and now he will get the opportunity to defeat his former team. Adding to the anticipation could very well be the No. 1 overall pick from the draft, Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

As expected, the Raiders took Mendoza to be the face of their franchise. While Vegas has not named him the starter as of yet, this is the obvious expectation for the Indiana standout. Should the Seahawks play their former OC with Mendoza under center, it will bring about one of the more compelling matchups on the slate for Seattle.

Of course, there are plenty of factors at play that will determine if this matchup occurs. If it's near the beginning of the season, it's entirely possible the Raiders could be rolling with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to give Mendoza more time to get his feet wet at the NFL level. However, I can only imagine how anxious the Raiders must be to get their star acquisition on the field, even if it means facing Mike Macdonald's suffocating defense.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: 2026 NFL season: Seahawks likely to face Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza