The speculation started innocently enough. What if the Las Vegas Raiders, sitting with the No. 1 overall pick and a vacant head coaching position, could orchestrate a package deal to land both Fernando Mendoza and his head coach, Curt Cignetti? But Cignetti just shut down that conversation before it could gain any more momentum.​

When asked directly if he would consider an NFL job on national championship media day, Cignetti said, “I’m not an NFL guy. I made that decision a long time ago. I’ve always been a college football guy,” he stated firmly. He revealed that it was something he decided back in 2000 when he followed defensive coordinator Chuck Amato to NC State. That was 26 years ago, when Cignetti was still climbing the ladder as a position coach, and it’s a philosophy he’s stuck with through four successful head coaching stops.​

The package deal idea came from former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who appeared on The Dan Patrick Show earlier this month to float the concept. “If you get Fernando Mendoza and, in my opinion, someone like Curt Cignetti, who I think would be a fascinating hire, that could be truly transformational,” Tannenbaum said about the Raiders. 

Patrick initially wasn’t sold on the idea, but Tannenbaum persisted, arguing that Cignetti’s background suggests he could succeed where other college coaches have failed in the NFL. “Who says no?” Tannenbaum asked rhetorically. “The data is overwhelming that college coaches fail [in the NFL]. But what in Curt Cignetti’s background would lead you to believe that he wouldn’t be successful?”

Tannenbaum’s logic wasn’t entirely without merit. Cignetti has turned around four different programs using a consistent formula of bringing his own staff, recruiting tough-minded players, and building a culture of accountability. “One thing we know is that the college game has never been closer to the NFL game than it is now, right? With NIL, every year is like free agency. So, Cignetti would be adept at navigating that,” CBS Sports’ Leger Douzable noted. The Raiders are desperate for stability after firing Pete Carroll after just one season. Theoretically, they could offer Mendoza and his college coach a fresh start in Las Vegas.​

But Cignetti’s emphatic denial suggests this isn’t about money or opportunity. Nick Saban, who famously struggled in his own NFL stint, weighed in on the speculation this week. “I’ve never discussed the NFL with Curt, and I don’t really know if he has any desire to pursue that,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Making the leap from college to the NFL can be quite challenging, especially for someone without prior NFL experience.”  For Cignetti, the answer is crystal clear. He’s exactly where he wants to be, regardless of what package deals NFL executives dream up.

Why Cignetti’s Decision Makes Perfect Sense

Maybe the real reason Cignetti isn’t interested in the NFL has nothing to do with league preference and everything to do with the formula he’s perfected over two decades. When asked this week how Indiana reached the national championship game, he didn’t mention X’s and O’s or innovative schemes. 

“Well, we’re here because we’ve prepared the right way and we have the right people on the staff and in the locker room,” Cignetti explained. “And we got tremendous support from our president, our athletic director, and we have a great fan base. We have a plan and a process, and we have great leadership and good players, and we’ve been very consistent in terms of our play in all three phases.”  It’s the same philosophy he’s been preaching since his IUP days. That approach requires continuity, loyalty, and time to build culture, three things that are increasingly rare in the NFL’s win-now environment, where coaches get fired after one down season.​

The most telling part of Cignetti’s response was, “So we’ve met every challenge. So the novelty of being here to us isn’t there. We’re here. We have got a job to do. Got a challenge to meet, and we got two more days of prep.” This is a coach who treats the national championship game the same way he treated Indiana’s season opener back in August. The NFL might offer more money and a bigger spotlight, but it can’t offer what Cignetti values most. It’s the ability to build something sustainable with people he trusts, which is why those package deal rumors were dead on arrival.​

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