Former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza will start training camp with the Las Vegas Raiders behind veteran Kirk Cousins. The Raiders signed Cousins in April after the Atlanta Falcons released the quarterback in March, and a few weeks later, drafted Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
While all eyes were on what Mendoza would bring to the table, it appears Tom Brady’s Raiders are exercising a cautious approach to easing the #1 overall pick into the grand scheme of things.
Analyst Backs Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza Plan
During Wednesday’s segment of the “4th and South” podcast, Tom Brady’s former teammate Leonard Fournette backed the Raiders’ approach to integrating Mendoza into the NFL behind Cousins.
“Word has it that they want Cousins to start the entire season, which to me is not bad,” Fournette said.
“NFL teams are understanding now because they’ve seen so many failures when it comes to the No. 1 picks, or they become busts. And the QB is a different position. Understanding the entire offense, he got this, he got that. And maybe, with Mr. Thomas Brady up there in that front office or the ownership of the Raiders is gonna help him.
“I think they’re into longevity because he’s the future and maybe take a few games, maybe until Week 10. Let him get some under his belt when he’s learning from Kirk Cousins. ‘Cause guess what, Kirk Cousins is not bad at all. He’s not a slouch and I believe Kirk can win. But, at the end of the day, you’ve got to protect your asset. He’s the No. 1 pick. He’s where the money is at.”
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After transferring from the California Golden Bears to Curt Cignetti’s Indiana last year, Mendoza led one of college football’s most swashbuckling offenses as they romped through the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff to win the national championship unbeaten.
NFL legend and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was a key decision-maker in the team selecting Mendoza No. 1 overall in the draft and has served as a mentor to the former Hoosiers star.
Brady attended Mendoza’s final college football game as the quarterback led the Hoosiers to the national championship against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in January.
Fournette further pinpointed the pitfalls of a rookie quarterback starting under center in the NFL and detailed the cautious path the Raiders have taken to protect Mendoza.
“The NFL is taking a different protocol right now, letting him learn instead of throwing him into the fire because we’ve seen documentaries of No. 1 picks and what happened to them,” Fournette said.
“Them not understanding the game, or it was too much for them, or too fast. And mentally, their brains couldn’t comprehend the game or get the speed of the game.”
In his final season in college football, Mendoza earned a PFN QB Impact score of 93.3, the second-highest in the country behind Diego Pavia who, incidentally, was released by the Baltimore Ravens.
Mendoza tallied 3,535 passing yards on 72% completion, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 276 rushing yards and seven scores for the Hoosiers.
