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Fernando Mendoza with Klint Kubiak and John Spytek.

The Las Vegas Raiders‘ 2026 regular season schedule has been revealed, and despite the excitement surrounding the team, they didn’t get a single primetime game. Even last season, the Raiders had three primetime games.

This time around, the NFL clearly didn’t think the team deserved a national spotlight. That’s not to mention that they’re also the team that has gone the longest without getting an international game.

Considering the Raiders drafted Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, there’s going to be a lot of interest in what the team looks like. However, the NFL isn’t interested in hypotheticals. According to NFL VP of broadcasting planning Mike North, the Raiders have to earn the right to be showcased on primetime.

“As far as the Raiders go, I mean, nobody knows if or when Mendoza might play,” North said, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “It would certainly be great if we knew. We don’t. But they went out and signed a very competent veteran quarterback, and if they find themselves, you know, hovering around .500 and playoff-relevant in the middle of the season, they might be a little more reluctant to pull the trigger and move to the rookie. And if they are playoff-relevant, they will find themselves flexed into bigger national television windows, whether it’s Sunday night, Monday night, or just a bigger footprint on a Sunday afternoon.

“Not to point fingers, but I think the best comp is probably Tennessee from last year. They drafted No. 1 overall, took a quarterback who looks like he can play in this league, [and] they didn’t happen to get a national television appearance last year, either. … We don’t draft our way into primetime. We play our way into primetime.”

Easy to Understand NFL’s Decision

The NFL took a gamble on the Raiders last season by giving them those three primetime games. They ended up scoring 16 or fewer points in all three of those games and lost them.

The Raiders were about as bad to watch as any football team in recent memory. Now, this is a different team. Head coach Klint Kubiak is an offensive mind, and the Raiders do have some exciting young talent. At the same time, the NFL has seen this plenty of times before from the Raiders. Unless they prove they can consistently put a watchable product on the field, the league isn’t going to trust them.

Raiders Need to Prove NFL Wrong

Many fans would suggest that the NFL is out to get the Raiders, but it’s more likely that they don’t showcase them because they’re irrelevant. The Raiders have a huge fan base of die-hards, but they have almost no national appeal.

They haven’t won a playoff game since 2002 and have constantly been shuffling through new coaches. The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t considered a big brand just a decade ago, but now they’re one of the biggest brands in sports due to winning.

Once the Raiders start winning again, the NFL should be happy to showcase them to a wider audience. They have one of the most unique fan bases in football, and that’s something the league can capitalize on.