Fernando Mendoza’s Rookie Edge With Raiders? Access to Tom Brady

Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in April’s 2026 NFL Draft, is soaking up as much knowledge as he can from Tom Brady, whose presence in Las Vegas as a franchise minority owner continues to expand.“With Tom, as our relationship’s growing, [I’ve been] asking more questions, and he’s been able to give firsthand a lot of advice that has happened in his career,” Mendoza told Front Office Sports.

“And also advice when he’s come out to OTAs, seeing the way I play, that firsthand advice as well.”Brady acquired about a 5% ownership stake in the Raiders in 2024. Las Vegas majority owner Mark Davis has relied heavily on the seven-time Super Bowl champion for football decisions, including the hirings of GM Jon Spytek and new coach Klint Kubiak, as well as former coach Pete Carroll, who was fired after his lone season in 2025.

Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, isn’t guaranteed to start Week 1 for the Raiders, who in March signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a deal that guarantees him $20 million for the 2026 season. Mendoza’s rookie contract is projected to be worth $57.2 million over four years, but he hasn’t signed it yet.

Both Mendoza and Cousins are benefiting from Brady’s expertise, though.“We had a question the other day that we were in the quarterback room later at night … about a specific concept and we were all there,” Mendoza said.

“Kirk was able to voice-memo Tom real quick, and he got back to us, and it was a great answer that we took a lot from.”Brady’s involvement with the Raiders’ football operations—everything from scouting to working on throwing mechanics—will continue to be in the spotlight thanks to his additional job serving as Fox’s No. 1 NFL game analyst.

That role initially created controversy, but last season the league loosened some of its restrictions on Brady interacting with the NFL’s other 31 teams.“Tom and I have talked about technique before, and the way that he understands the technique of throwing a football and h