If there is one thing LA Chargers fans love almost as much as the Bolts winning, it's the dysfunction of the Las Vegas Raiders. Year after year, Raiders fans convince themselves this is the team that will figure it out, only for the entire situation to blow up in their face.
It's a tradition two-plus decades in the making. And yes, Raiders fans will point out their Super Bowl trophies to Chargers fans as if its the end-all, be-all when most Vegas fans weren't even alive (or cognizant) for those championship teams.
The saving grace this year is National Champion and Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza is a shoo-in to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and coupled with new head coach Klint Kubiak, gives Raiders fans a source of inspiration.
However, despite what Raiders fans want to say, Mendoza is not a guaranteed success story in the NFL. Don't believe us Chargers fans who relish in the Raiders' struggles? Just ask your own owner, Mark Davis.
"Having the first pick in the draft is exciting because we kind of control the draft - we get to make the decision on who we're gonna pick," Davis told reporters during the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix.
"But we've had that position before, and it didn't work out. So there's no magic bullet there, but it's a great opportunity to get a great player, whoever they [Kubiak and GM John Spytek] decide to pick."
Mark Davis outright admits Fernando Mendonza isn't guaranteed to succeed
Ah, yes. The first thing Raiders fans want to hear as they pre-order custom-made Mendoza jerseys is a callback to the last quarterback the team took first overall, JaMarcus Russell. Davis didn't cite Russell by name, but the connection alone is enough to send chills down Raiders fans' spines.
And Chargers fans should love it.
Yes, Mendoza was extremely impressive at Indiana and became the story of college football in 2025. Sure, on paper, he has the makings of being a leader of men who can finally give the Raiders what they have been yearning for at the quarterback position.
But paper doesn't suit up every Sunday and take the field. There have been so many great quarterbacks on paper coming out of the draft who ended up being nothing-burgers. Chargers fans know this, Davis clearly knows this, and whether or not they want to admit it, Raiders fans also know this.
Now, this shouldn't be read as Davis outright giving up on Mendoza before he even joins the team; making that big of a logic jump would be unfair. However, if he really loved the likely No. 1 pick, he probably wouldn't beat around the bush in this way and wouldn't explicitly bring up how it's not guaranteed to work.
Whether intentional or a Freudian slip, Davis still said it all the same. And he's right. Mendoza is not guaranteed to save the Raiders from their long-lasting struggles. Raiders fans will never admit that, though, even if the team's owner is saying it directly to their faces.
But hey, Chargers fans know the reality of the situation. Mendoza is an exciting player, but he isn't someone the Chargers have to lose sleep over until he proves it in the NFL.