Fernando Mendoza is playing nice when it comes to the possibility of landing with the Las Vegas Raiders, even when not everyone else is.
Mendoza appeared on “Today” Friday less than a week after winning the national championship with the Indiana Hoosiers. The likely No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft had his interview crashed by “Today” co-host and Raiders fan Carson Daly, who had something of a warning for the Indiana quarterback.
“On behalf of Las Vegas, I just want to say, should you end up with us, I’m sorry,” Daly joked. “If you win more than three games, you’re a hero.”
NEWS: Fernando Mendoza spoke on being drafted as the number one pick by the #Raiders.
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 23, 2026
“The Raiders have a great culture, have a great coaching staff, great ownership group. It’s all around. Those are legit guys. I’d be happy to end anywhere”
(Via Today)pic.twitter.com/U7Rw1stfVR
Mendoza played it cool and praised the Raiders’ ownership, coaches, and culture. He diplomatically added that he’d be “happy to end up anywhere.”
Nobody would have expected anything less from Mendoza, who is extremely polished and says basically everything one would want to hear from a franchise quarterback. He’s also smart enough not to trash his likely NFL landing spot on national television.
While Mendoza prepares for the NFL and a likely landing spot in Vegas, his younger brother will also be playing somewhere other than Indiana next season.
