At the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza said he had a “fantastic” interview with the Las Vegas Raiders. The former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, and the Raiders are almost unanimously expected to take him.
Mendoza also waxed poetic about what it would be like to have Tom Brady as a mentor. Brady has been a minority owner of the Raiders since 2024.
“I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady, guys?” Mendoza told reporters. 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.”
The Raiders ensured Mendoza will not be mentored by veteran quarterback Geno Smith. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning that Las Vegas planned to release Smith. The 35-year-old started one season for the Raiders after the team acquired him from Seattle last March.
Theoretically, nobody is a better quarterback mentor than Brady, but there might be another veteran quarterback suited to specifically mentor Mendoza, whose favorite app is LinkedIn and earnestness is contagious. It’s hard to imagine a veteran quarterback who can match Mendoza’s energy better than The Kohl’s Cash King.
“If the Raiders continue to lean toward drafting Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, their preference is to not start him immediately,” The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported on Friday. “Look for Las Vegas to bring a veteran QB in free agency.”
The Athletic‘s Ted Nguyen responded, “Kirk Cousins would be a good mentor and nerd-out partner for Mendoza.”
Nguyen isn’t the first NFL pundit to suggest the 37-year-old Cousins as the Raiders’ bridge quarterback in 2026. In late February, USA Today‘s Joe Rivera telegraphed Cousins to Las Vegas.
“New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak and Cousins worked together in Minnesota, as Kubiak operated as the team’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator between 2019 and 2021,” Rivera wrote. “There would probably be few better to take the reins and be a voice in the quarterback room to a young, potential franchise passer than Cousins, who seemingly worked very well alongside Michael Penix in Atlanta.”
Cousins signed with the Falcons in March 2024. One month later, without giving Cousins any heads up, Atlanta drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall.
After leading the league with 16 interceptions in 2024, Cousins was benched for Penix by December. He resumed duties as the Falcons’ starter after Penix suffered a torn ACL in November 2025. Overall, Cousins went 12-10 in 22 starts across two seasons in Atlanta. In eight starts last year, he went 5-3 and threw for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 61.7% completion.
Atlanta will release Cousins at the start of the new league year on March 11. While Cousins has had the physical traits to be a high-end starter at times, he is as cerebral as they come, as evidenced by this presser from last December. Mendoza would benefit from learning from a 14-year veteran who has seen it all.
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