The Las Vegas Raiders have the No.1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and minority owner Tom Brady isn’t sitting on the sidelines. . Everything points to them drafting Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The franchise has already added center Tyler Linderbaum and defensive end Kwity Paye this offseason

Mostly, general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak have made the decisions regarding the signings. That prompted former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to ask just how involved Brady is as a 5% owner.

“My understanding is he’s very involved,” said Rapoport on the Fitz & Whit podcast on Tuesday, via YouTube. “Now, how the media treats it like it’s weird because first of all, he works for one of the networks. Two, everybody likes Brady. And so, like a lot of the media people who might be criticizing like it.”

According to Rapoport, Brady is heavily involved in the team’s decision-making, even if that involvement hasn’t been widely covered by the media. Fitzpatrick pointed towards the Raiders’ last season. They finished the season with a 3-14 record, but no one criticised the NFL legend.

Rapoport also clarified it by mentioning two reasons. First, Brady works as the lead NFL color commentator for FOX. FOX pays the NFL $2.2 billion per year, which is the highest among other networks. And the second reason is that everyone loves the seven-time Super Bowl winner. So, based on these two reasons, the NFL Insider revealed that Brady may enjoy some relief after the Raiders’ poor performance last season. Despite that, Rapoport believes that Brady is involved and expects a different-looking Raiders team this season.

“He [Brady] talks to John Spytek a lot,” said Ian Rapoport. “I expect him to be involved in this quarterback decision. I think it’s going to be better for the Raiders this year, I think last year was a bad match of a coach who wanted to win now and a GM who was like, ‘Wow, we cannot win now.'”

The coach Rapoport was referencing was Pete Carroll, who went 3-14 in his only season in Vegas after pushing for a win-now approach that clashed with Spytek’s longer-term rebuild vision.

Brady is a minority owner with just 5% share of the franchise. But that is not stopping him from contacting the GM to get an update on the franchise. Moreover, he knows how much the franchise needs a quarterback, especially after Geno Smith’s failure. Given Rapoport’s reporting, Brady’s input is expected to play a significant role in the team’s decision on Mendoza.

As someone who spent 23 years playing the position, Brady understands the stakes of this pick better than most. With his involvement, the franchise could finally see itself getting back on track. While he is working to bring Mendoza to the franchise to tackle the quarterback issues, the CFP National Championship offensive MVP is full of admiration for Tom Brady.

Fernando Mendoza draws inspiration from Tom Brady

Tom Brady is one of the most iconic players in the NFL. Not only does he have more Super Bowl rings than other players, but he also holds multiple records. He is the all-time leader in passing yards (89,214), passing touchdowns (649), and completions (7,753) in the NFL’s history. So, he is an inspiration to several young players who aim to play in the NFL. One such player is Fernando Mendoza, who also believes Brady to be the greatest quarterback.

“Who hasn’t admired Tom Brady?” said Fernando Mendoza. “More Super Bowl rings than anybody. That opportunity would be fantastic,” he said. “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, it would mean so much.”

If Mendoza were to come to Las Vegas, he would have the opportunity to play under his idol. It is an opportunity he does not want to miss. Moreover, he also spoke about other aspects of the five-time Super Bowl MVP that he admires.

“The perfect guy to look up to. Cerebral. He wasn’t the fastest, wasn’t the strongest; just super, super smart and a great leader, too,” said Mendoza.

The Heisman Trophy winner is most likely to be picked by the Raiders on April 23. Then he will get a chance to play under his idol. With Brady being more involved with the franchise, there is also the possibility Brady taking Mendoza under his wing.

It’s a dynamic without many precedents in the NFL, though Derek Jeter’s turbulent run as a 4% owner of the Miami Marlins showed how fraught the minority-owner-with-opinions role can be.