NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn't exactly a revered figure to Las Vegas Raiders fans. In fact, I'd venture to guess that a poll of Raider Nation would indicate that they, at the very least, aren't huge fans of Goodell, who has served as the NFL's commissioner since the 2006 NFL season.
Goodell wasn't the head of the league when the Raiders were screwed in The Tuck Rule Game or when The Immaculate Reception occurred, but they haven't been immune during his tenure. The Jon Gruden email scandal, last year's brutal rest disadvantage and years of bad penalty calls still matter.
While he is no friend of the fanbase, Goodell isn't really the biggest enemy either, I suppose. But some behind-the-scenes footage from the 2026 NFL Draft that was just released caught Goodell somewhat secretly praising new franchise quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Raiders fans should get a kick out of it.
Roger Goodell secretly had nice words to say about Las Vegas Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza
During ESPN's new special, The Pick Is In, which pulled back the curtain and brought fans into NFL War Rooms during the 2026 NFL Draft, Goodell was caught speaking with Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount after Mendoza spoke with reporters once he was taken with the first overall pick.
Their conversation was awesome.
"This kid's like a machine," Goodell said.
"I tell you what. Somebody was saying they wanted to know if it was AI, or if he was just programmed like that," Blount joked. "He's got all the right answers."
"I know, he definitely does," Goodell said. "But he's a genuine kid. Like, it's real."
Now, Raider Nation didn't necessarily hear anything from Goodell or Blount that they didn't already know themselves. It was a funny back-and-forth. But it is still nice to hear the literal "power that be" in the NFL saying something nice about a member of the Silver and Black.
Again, even if Goodell hasn't been a staunch adversary of Las Vegas, at least not outwardly or egregiously, fans should still revel in this. Perhaps Mendoza's likability tips the scales even ever so slightly for the Raiders, and the team stops getting screwed, or at least as much.
With the NFL schedule release just around the corner in mid-to-late May, Las Vegas could use all the help that it can get. They have a tough slew of opponents on the docket already, and they don't need the extra burden of an unfavorable set of road games or a constant rest disadvantage.
Ironically enough, the first-ever draft pick that Goodell announced as the commissioner was JaMarcus Russell. Maybe, in a way, Goodell has unintentionally cursed the franchise, but Mendoza is the great redemption. Goodell seems to like him, anyway, which is a start.
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