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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Tom Brady is arguably the greatest football player of all time, and he's also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Brady took over the role in 2024 and his impact has already been felt across the organization, serving as a strategic advisor to team owner Mark Davis and working closely with football operations and personnel decision.
So when the Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, it felt like a clean fit. Now the reigning Heisman Trophy winner can learn directly from the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
But apparently, his time to shine is going to have to wait. On Tuesday, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that Kirk Cousins is the team's QB1 for the time being, not Mendoza.
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"When we go out to practice [on Wednesday], Kirk Cousins in the starting quarterback. He’s the guy, and he deserves it because he’s played really good football," Kubiak told reporters." But I want Fernando and I want Aidan [O’Connell] to push him."
Shortly after that news broke, ESPN's Adam Schefter spoke on "NFL Live" about the role Brady played in Vegas' latest QB decision.
"That's why they signed him [Cousins]. That's why they were as aggressive as they were to sign him to bring him to Las Vegas. And Tom Brady knew that he wanted a veteran to start the season to take the pressure off Fernando Mendoza," Schefter said. "He knows what he would bring to a roster, to a roster needing experience like Kirk Cousins will bring. So it'll be him on what looks like to be opening day, and they're going to bring along Fernando Mendoza along at a very slow, and casual pace."
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Mendoza is coming off one of the greatest college football seasons in recent memory. After transferring from Cal, he led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated 16-0 season and a College Football Playoff National Championship. He finished the year with 3,535 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, and just six interceptions, completing 72% of his passes along with 276 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
After leading the school to its first-ever national title, Mendoza won several national awards, including the Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, AP College Player of the Year, and the Heisman. He was the top prospect in the NFL draft, and brought in to lead this new Raiders era as a legitimate franchise quarterback.
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It doesn't look like Mendoza is going to be the team's Week 1 starter, and that's probably for the best. History bodes well for quarterbacks that get the chance to sit back and develop a bit, adjusting to the speed and physicality of the NFL before getting thrown into the fire.
With a respected offensive mind like Kubiak now his head coach, and possibly the best mentor one could imagine in Brady, Mendoza appears well-positioned to make an immediate impact once his opportunity comes.
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