It’s practically a foregone conclusion that the Raiders will select QB Fernando Mendoza at number one overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Indiana QB had a season for the ages including winning the Heisman Trophy on his way to an undefeated season and a National Championship.
With that kind of success, it would have made some sense for the Raiders to hire his QB coach. But such a move would have to wait until after they officially hire their head coach, Klint Kubiak. And that can’t happen until after the Super Bowl.
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In the meantime, the Buccaneers swooped in and took the decision out of Raiders’ hands. They have hired Indiana’s co-OC and QB coach as their new QB coach.
Whitmer spent three seasons with the Chargers 2021-23 as an offensive quality control coach before spending a season in Atlanta as a pass game specialist. Now, after his success in one season at Indiana, he was in demand to return to the NFL.
There’s no telling if Whitmer would have been Kubiak’s choice for QB coach, but it certainly would have made a lot of sense given is familiarity and success coaching Mendoza. He is now no longer an option.
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This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Buccaneers beat Raiders to punch by hiring Fernando Mendoza’s QB coach
