Key Takeaways
- Mike Sullivan named Raiders QBs coach — his 21st season in the NFL
- Worked with Kenny Pickett, Ben Roethlisberger, and Eli Manning
- Won two Super Bowls coaching Eli Manning during his peak years
- Solid pedigree to develop Fernando Mendoza as the presumptive No. 1 pick in the draft
The Raiders filled their quarterbacks coach vacancy, announcing Mike Sullivan on Tuesday. He brings 21 years of NFL coaching experience — and a track record of developing quarterbacks that teams love.
Sullivan comes from Pittsburgh, where he spent the last four seasons as quarterbacks coach. He guided Kenny Pickett through his 2022 breakout — 7-5 as a starter down the stretch — and Ben Roethlisberger through his final season in 2021. Before Pittsburgh, Sullivan was offensive coordinator for the Giants from 2016-17, where he worked with Eli Manning during his fifth consecutive 4,000-yard season.
But the crown jewel of his resume is what he did with Manning in 2011 — the quarterback’s season leading up to Super Bowl XLVI. Manning threw for a career-high 4,933 yards and 9 touchdowns with just 1 interception across four playoff games. Sullivan was already in the building for both of Manning’s Super Bowl runs as a receivers coach before taking over the QBs room.
Fernando Mendoza is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. Whoever coaches him needs to be steady, experienced, and able to manage the transition from college to the NFL without breaking a young quarterback’s confidence.
Sullivan has done it before. He helped Pickett go from a first-round rookie to a functional NFL starter in one season. He managed Big Ben’s final year without disrupting the locker room. And he has two rings working with a franchise quarterback in Eli Manning.
That is exactly what Mendoza needs — someone who has been through this before and knows how to handle the weight of a franchise passing through one person’s hands.
Walk the Plank
Let us be honest — the Raiders quarterbacks room has been a mess for years. From Carr’s decline to the Minshew-AOC experiment, there has not been a real plan at quarterback since Derek Carr stopped being the answer. Now they are betting the farm on a 21-year-old rookie.
Sullivan is not a flashy hire. He is not a name that moves the needle on social media. But he might be the most important hire of the offseason. A quarterback coach is only as good as the quarterback they develop — and Sullivan has done it at every level of his career.
The real test will come when Mendoza takes his first NFL snap. But if the right coach can make that transition smoother, Sullivan is a strong bet to be that guy.
