Fernando Mendoza Discusses Tom Brady Advice, Kirk Cousins Raiders Schedule Release Video

Fernando Mendoza disclosed the advice that he received from NFL legend and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady after the team selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.

"I don't know about taking it all for myself," Mendoza told Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano. "I always want to share, but the one biggest thing that I thought was awesome was when Tom talked about leadership and the two variables that you need to be a great leader. One, care about your teammates, and second, care about the team's goals. It's not about being a Pro Bowler, being a star player. It's about caring about your teammates, who they are and caring about winning, and the team's ultimate goal, which is to win a championship."

The former Indiana quarterback also discussed his involvement in the Raiders' viral 2026 schedule release video, which featured the rookie alongside veteran teammate Kirk Cousins as they recreated the film Step Brothers.

"We actually didn't really prepare," Mendoza told Manzano. "However, Kirk for sure outshined me and helped me because he's a little bit of a marketing vet, especially with the Netflix serious documentary [Quarterback] that he did. So he was great. He took a little bit of a vet role as well in that production. It was a fun and funny thing we wanted to do for the fans. I was really glad that it came out well."

Mendoza is entering his first NFL season with high expectations after taking home the Heisman Trophy and capturing a national championship during his junior year on the Hoosiers.

In 16 starts last season, he threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns while getting picked off just six times. Mendoza also completed 72.0 percent of his passes, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt.