Tom Brady’s name brings more prestige to the Las Vegas Raiders, but he’ll need more than that to turn the organization around.
Fortunately, the Raiders and Brady have a golden ticket in the form of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Las Vegas’ biggest positional need is at quarterback and it just so happens that Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is the clear-cut favorite to be the first of the group taken.
Mendoza is coming off one of the best collegiate seasons ever, leading the Hoosiers to a 16-0 regular season record before winning the national championship against Miami. He was named the Heisman Trophy winner and is slated to go first to Las Vegas.
Mendoza recently met with the Raiders at the NFL Combine and expressed his admiration for Brady and what it would mean for him to potentially learn under him:
“Yeah, I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady? I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody … anybody!” Mendoza said. “So, that opportunity would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time — by a wide margin — and to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him, would … mean so much.
“Especially to learn, and I’m all about learning. So from Day 1, you know, I’ve got to learn a lot. It’s gonna be a long journey, and to potentially have a mentor like that, it would be pretty impressive and pretty meaningful.”
When it comes to learning how to be an NFL quarterback, there is no greater resource for Mendoza than Brady. Brady’s resume speaks for itself, so if Mendoza does go to Las Vegas then he’ll have an advantage other players could only dream of.
Outside of Mendoza, though, the Silver and Black will need to find more talent at nearly every position to help him develop properly. Las Vegas sorely needs a true No. 1 wideout in the passing game, as well as offensive line upgrades. Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty are quality pieces to help a prospect like Mendoza in his rookie year, but it’ll be interesting to see how the organization looks to fill out the roster.
Tom Brady expected to increase presence with Raiders
As a new minority owner, Tom Brady wasn’t too involved in day-to-day operations as he focused on his FOX broadcasting commitment. However, Brady is expected to increase his presence with the Raiders this offseason.