FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd has pitched a bold idea for the Las Vegas Raiders. He spoke about their staff recruitment situation, suggesting the franchise hire Kevin Stefanski, who was shown the door by the Browns not too long ago. Cowherd claims this could be a significant move that could help groom Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with the No.1 pick. But there’s an issue, which involves Longhorns’ Arch Manning.

On January 5, college football and NFL insider Colin Cowherd hopped onto The Volume podcast alongside John Middlekauff and discussed the idea of matching up Fernando Mendoza with Browns coach Kevin Stefanski: “What I would do if I were the Raiders, I would hire Kevin Stefanski. Same, I would give him Mendoza. Stefanski is not a yeller. He’s more of a teacher. Mendoza’s personality suits going with offensive guys. I would go get Kevin Stefanski.”

Stefanski got fired earlier today by the Cleveland Browns after six seasons of roller-coaster. A two-time NFL Coach of the Year (2020, 2023), his overall record doesn’t match that resume: 45–56 in the regular season and 1–2 in the playoffs. Despite the mixed bag, Colin Cowherd’s co-host, John Middlekauff, believes that Kevin Stefanski is still a hot commodity and that he was let go at perhaps the right time. “It’s not a good year for candidates. You’re kind of stretching. That’s why Stefanski, or if Tomlin or Harbor are let go, they would be hired, I would say, in 48 hours.”

The idea is that Stefanski would be the “perfect time and place” hire for this Raiders job. Basically, according to Colin’s point of view, Fernando Mendoza teaming up with Kevin Stefanski would feed families in Vegas. Picking Mendoza could make the Raiders forget their awful 2025 campaign. However, this ‘what if’ plan could fall apart if the Raiders decide to wait for none other than Arch Manning?

Word on the street is that Arch Manning confirmed that he’ll return to Texas for his final season and also expects to play the best football of his career. Raiders owner Mark Davis, nudged and influenced by minority owner Tom Brady, might just play the long game and probably wait for Arch next year. Think about it: Brady and Arch’s uncle Peyton go bond for bond. The popular consensus is that Brady could mentor the young Manning kid, lock him in as the face of the franchise, and keep him away from other teams like the Jets or even the Browns.

The tricky part of this theory is that the Raiders need a fix now. They got the luxury of having the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft after a rough 3-14 season. That’s a golden ticket to grab a top-tier quarterback prospect like Mendoza this year. If they decide to pump the brakes and wait a whole year for Arch Manning, they’re basically hitting pause on fixing their biggest problem. But they could opt for another option that could see Mendoza out of the picture.

What if the Raiders ditch Fernando Mendoza for vets and a trade haul?

The last time the Las Vegas Raiders had the No.1 overall QB pick was in 2007, drafting JaMarcus Russell. The fact that they haven’t opted to do that for almost a couple of decades indicates that they don’t tend to take risks with rookies. At present, there’s still a way for the Raiders to work around without ever drafting Fernando Mendoza, and skip drafting the Hoosiers quarterback with the No. 1 pick. Instead, they could go for a free-agent quarterback, a pretty straightforward but intriguing approach.

First, they need to grab a solid veteran quarterback in free agency, think a reliable guy who can start right away. For example, Sam Darnold (28 wins and just six losses in the last two years), or they make a leap-of-faith move with Geno Smith, expecting him to ball out like the 2023 Seahawks version. Even Daniel Jones could make it work.

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For any of this to make sense, the Raiders need to trade away their number 1 overall pick for a massive haul of more draft picks. This gives them tons of chances to draft top-tier players at all those other positions they lack (O-line, WR, defense).

This whole mess makes for a franchise-altering crossroads for the Raiders’ future. Do they go with a solid, analyst-backed coaching move for the players they have today? Do they roll the dice on a celebrity connection, hoping to bet on Arch Manning’s 2026 campaign? The decision could define the franchise’s direction for the next decade. All thanks to a web of relationships and future dreams.