Fernando Mendoza is one of the most intriguing NFL stories that fans have watched in a long time. A rather unknown prospect with the California Golden Bears, he transferred to an upstart Indiana Hoosiers program for his final collegiate season and ended up winning the Heisman Trophy and national championship. He went from a stranger in the national media to becoming one of the biggest stars in the nation in the span of a year, and now he hopes to bring that same success to the pros.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the fan base was overjoyed to finally have some hope for the future. However, head coach Klint Kubiak made the decision to start him off as the backup, and while he left the door open for Mendoza to push for the starting job, he’ll likely be No. 2 on the depth chart.
This isn’t a surprise, as minority owner Tom Brady has previously discussed the plight of young quarterbacks and being thrown to the fire before they’re truly ready. Mendoza showed a ton of promise in the Raiders’ first preseason game of the year, but he also reinforced the need for him to sit and learn for a while before taking over the reins.