“Earn It”: Tom Brady Challenges Fernando Mendoza Amid Raiders QB Battle With Kirk Cousins
· Yahoo Sports
Fernando Mendoza is college football royalty. But in the NFL, as of now, he’s just like any other newbie who will have to go through a tough grind. The Las Vegas Raiders are treating him no differently.
“I love Fernando, but Fernando’s like every other young rookie,” Tom Brady told Liz Claman on FOX Business. “He’s got to go out there and earn it like everybody else. And I’m excited about the opportunity for our team to have him as the first overall pick. He’s done a lot of hard work to get to this point.
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“But at the same time, like everyone at their age, none of these young players, none of these rookies have ever had a meaningful snap in the NFL. Their career and their journey will be determined by the work that they put in, by the adversities that they overcome, by the kind of teammate and team player that they are. And it’s all the same in business.”
Fernando Mendoza is quite the star in the rookie class this year. The reigning Heisman winner and National Championship-winning quarterback will play for a team with Brady in the ownership. The rookie also came with a story: Mendoza went from an ignored prospect in college to the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. But the real test starts now.
It looks like the Raiders had a plan set in place for Mendoza quite some time ago. They signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins first, and then drafted the rookie. Mendoza will have to prove he’s worthy of taking over from Cousins and becoming the franchise quarterback that the Raiders envision him to be.
Cousins is a legitimate competition for Mendoza. He comes to Las Vegas having thrown for nearly 44,700 yards, 298 touchdowns, and a 96.8 passer rating. He’s not just there to babysit a rookie.
ESPN’s Eric Karabell has praised the Raiders for upgrading their quarterback room, but not everyone shares that optimism. Former scout Daniel Kelly went as far as calling Fernando Mendoza “a guaranteed bust.”
Early practices haven’t made things easier for Mendoza either. The Athletic’s Sam Warren reported last month that during OTAs, Mendoza spent most of his reps with the rookies. Mendoza also reportedly struggled against the first-team defense late in camp.
However, Mendoza has also been upfront about where he stands since day one.
“I believe I’m still the underdog,” Mendoza said right after getting drafted. “… I’m not one out of 32 quarterbacks at this moment. So I need to work every single day possible, because I’m on the bottom of the totem pole. Whatever everyone has ranked me, I don’t know those specifics, but I’m at the bottom of the totem pole and I’ve got to earn first the respect of my teammates, earn that equity, I got to immerse, I’m just ready to do whatever the team needs and calls me to do to help them win.”
With time, Mendoza could give Tom Brady something else to talk about.
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