Rich Gannon returns to Super Bowl week spotlight with Drake Maye interview

Rich Gannon, the former NFL MVP who led the Raiders to the Super Bowl and later became a longtime game analyst, has re-entered the national conversation this week through a high-profile Super Bowl media role and renewed commentary around the Raiders’ next steps at quarterback and head coach.

His appearances come as the league’s spotlight swings to Northern California for Super Bowl LX, with Opening Night interviews doubling as both game-week content and a preview of the offseason decisions already lining up behind the scenes.

A Super Bowl Opening Night interview with Drake Maye

On Tuesday, February 3, 2026 (ET), Gannon co-hosted a live Opening Night interview segment with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The conversation centered on how a young quarterback manages the noise and schedule that comes with Super Bowl week, especially as Maye prepares to start the biggest game of his career at age 23.

Maye described the core message he has received from his coaches: keep the week as normal as possible, protect routine, and avoid letting the event swallow preparation. He also said Peyton Manning reached out with similar guidance, describing it as a “full circle” moment tied to attending a Super Bowl as a fan a decade earlier.

For Gannon, the interview fit a familiar lane: quarterback-centric questions about routine, decision-making, and handling pressure—topics he lived through during his own peak years as one of the league’s most efficient passers.

Why Gannon’s presence matters right now

Gannon’s name still carries weight in two places: the broader quarterback conversation, and the Raiders’ orbit. He is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in franchise history, and his perspective tends to resonate during moments when the team is searching for direction.

This year, that timing is especially sharp. Las Vegas enters the offseason with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a coaching hire expected to finalize after the Super Bowl. The combination has created a constant feedback loop of speculation about the next head coach and the next quarterback—exactly the kind of moment where a franchise legend’s opinion travels.

Raiders coaching search chatter and the “fit” question

In recent commentary, Gannon has framed the Raiders job as attractive because of its flexibility: a high draft position, a roster that can be shaped quickly, and a clear need for an offensive identity after a difficult season.

The coaching conversation has largely pointed toward younger offensive-minded candidates, reflecting how teams are building around quarterbacks and systems rather than treating the quarterback as a plug-and-play piece. The Raiders’ situation makes that approach feel almost inevitable: whoever takes the job will be tied to the decision at No. 1.

Gannon’s public remarks have leaned into that same theme—coaching direction and quarterback direction should be aligned, not treated as separate tracks.

Quarterback spotlight: Fernando Mendoza and the draft lens

Gannon has also been pulled into discussions around Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a player frequently linked to the Raiders because of their draft position and need at the position.

While the league’s draft process is still early, the storyline is already clear: if Las Vegas believes Mendoza is a franchise quarterback, the No. 1 pick simplifies the choice. If not, the pick becomes a pivot point—trade down, build elsewhere, or pursue a different veteran plan.

Gannon’s quarterback evaluations are often less about highlight throws and more about repeatable traits: processing speed, pocket decision-making, resilience after mistakes, and whether a quarterback can function when the first read is taken away. That lens tends to be more predictive than raw “arm talent” debates, and it’s why his takes are getting recirculated as draft talk intensifies.

Key takeaways for fans watching this story

• Gannon is back in the mix as a Super Bowl-week interviewer, focusing on quarterback routine and pressure management with Drake Maye.

• His Raiders-focused commentary is landing in a vacuum of certainty, with a coaching hire and a No. 1 pick creating nonstop speculation.

• Quarterback identity is the through-line: coach choice, system choice, and the draft pick will be judged as one package.

What to watch next

The next few days are likely to keep Gannon in the conversation for a simple reason: the Raiders’ biggest decisions are on hold until after the Super Bowl, while the league’s biggest event is happening now. That overlap keeps voices like his circulating—part game-week analysis, part offseason forecasting.

If Las Vegas confirms its coaching direction quickly after Sunday’s kickoff, the quarterback conversation will only accelerate. And if the Raiders continue to be linked to Mendoza, expect more public breakdowns of what a No. 1 pick quarterback should look like—and whether that player fits what the franchise is trying to become.

Sources consulted: Reuters, Associated Press, Boston.com, Las Vegas Raiders official site