Mendoza Mania is here. Fans welcomed the rookie Las Vegas Raiders quarterback in his preseason debut with his face on the team flag. But radio host Damon Bruce took the mania a notch higher with a double-take-worthy comment.
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“I am personally ready to have Fernando Mendoza’s baby if he asked me to have it. Like, I love the guy. They should expect nothing short of miracles,” he said on the What Wright Show. “He’s already done the football equivalent of walking on water. Heisman, undefeated national title. And if you can win at Indiana, you might even be able to be the guy who can turn the Raiders around. He’s almost too good to be true, boy-scouty.”
Mendoza came to Las Vegas a star. Drafted No. 1 overall, he was looked at as the Raiders’ savior at quarterback. After all, his story is nothing short of a Hollywood film: he flew under the radar coming out of high school, somehow caught Curt Cignetti’s eye with his California Golden Bears stint, and helped turn a losing Indiana Hoosiers team into a National Championship-winning team. All are reasons enough for die-hard fans to be enamored with Mendoza, like Bruce.
The cautious fans know that it is much too soon to heap these expectations on Mendoza, who will not start for the Raiders this year. He’s had an up-and-down offseason so far in the OTAs and training camp, and has repeated the idea of starting from the “bottom of the totem pole” at this phase of his career. And, he will also play for a team that hasn’t been very successful lately. But given how he performed in his preseason debut, there is some serious hope.
Mendoza delivered a solid outing against the Arizona Cardinals, completing 10 of 16 attempts for 97 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for six yards and was sacked once. His performance also fueled comparisons with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, who was there to watch the game.
One fan even said on X, “I’ve seen enough. Welcome back Tom Brady.”
Also, when someone like Brady is on the lookout for exclusive Fernando Mendoza trading cards, you know he’s worth some hype.
However, Mendoza is keeping busy. He got QB1 reps during the August 18 training camp, and by the looks of it, things are looking good.
“It does sound, based on my understanding, like today was a really good day, made some good throws,” Ian Rapoport said. “Someone I spoke to who was watching said they noticed how well he does so many of the little things. It is all positive. This is a very good day for the Raiders because this guy will help. It just doesn’t seem like it is going to be right away in the 2026 season.”
Only time will tell if Mendoza Mania will go out of control.