Fernando Mendoza Opens Up About Joining the Raiders

On the outside, Fernando Mendoza is the nicest guy you’ll meet.

He doesn’t party or get into any drama and is close with his family. The NFL wanted Mendoza in Pittsburgh when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, but he declined so he could spend the night with everyone he grew up with, who had led him to this point.

But when asked about the approach to becoming a Heisman Trophy winner and a College Football Playoff national champion, Mendoza was honest about his approach to leading a team.

While he might be a nice guy off the field, on the field, he isn’t afraid to command respect and dictate what the team does around him if he’s not happy.

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For Mendoza, it’s all about doing what is needed to go from the bottom to the very top, as he did out of high school, eventually transferring to Indiana, where he won a national title.

“I wasn’t always a nice guy,” Mendoza said. “I was an a-hole sometimes, because I wanted everyone to do their job and hold them to a high standard. Leadership is earned, not given. … As the quarterback, two things you need to be a leader. No. 1, you gotta play well, you gotta do your job before you hold people accountable. And No. 2, you gotta create equity.”

Mendoza went on to say that he is entering the Raiders organization at the bottom of the totem pole and that he’ll need to earn that equity with the players, staff, and ownership before becoming a true leader of the franchise.

The Raiders have reportedly been interested in sitting Mendoza to begin his rookie season, developing him slowly behind veteran Kirk Cousins.

Even if he’s on the bench, Mendoza seems to be ready to earn his spot in Las Vegas. If he’s not making plays on the field, he’ll be making them behind the scenes, growing into the leader the Raiders hope can bring their franchise back to relevance for the first time in a quarter-century.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 8:51 PM.