Tom Brady has his sights set on a quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders draft.

Fernando Mendoza is still in the middle of the College Football Playoffs (CFP), the final round of US college football.

But there is already little doubt that when he moves to the NFL, he will be drafted by one of the weakest teams in the league.

After the Las Vegas Raiders’ defeat to the New York Giants in Week 17, the franchise from the city of gambling moved into a promising position for the first pick in the draft.

It is now widely accepted that Geno Smith is not a long-term solution at quarterback. His performance this season underscores this assessment: with only 3,025 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions, Smith fell short of expectations statistically and was one of the least efficient starters in the league.

Tom Brady enthusiastic about Fernando Mendoza

Tom Brady seems firmly convinced that the team should select Mendoza in the draft. He indirectly confirmed this assessment with his recent statements on “NFL on Fox.”

It should be noted that Brady is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Tom Brady is sold on Fernando Mendoza and basically just confirmed he’s the next Raiders QB pic.twitter.com/TIA8XSFU8W

— Raiders Report Mitchell Renz (@MitchellRenz365) January 2, 2026

The seven-time Super Bowl champion said of Mendoza: “I love everything about his game. His leadership skills are particularly outstanding. The way he interacts with his teammates and the fact that he has already overcome many challenges in his career.”

Of course, there is a lot of speculation involved.

However, when the best quarterback in the history of the sport, as a co-owner of one of the weakest teams that is highly likely to get the first pick in the draft, speaks so positively about a quarterback who is very likely to be drafted early, this assumption is by no means far-fetched.

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