The Las Vegas Raiders have a roster that is littered with needs, as nearly every position room could use reinforcements this offseason. There is, however, no bigger need on the roster than the most important position in sports, as the franchise lacks a long-term option at quarterback.
If the Raiders are smart, they'll be deciding between Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore next April, assuming that both decide to declare for the draft. While both certainly have their distinct set of strengths, it will be franchise-altering depending on who Las Vegas chooses.
It isn't well-known exactly who is calling the shots for the Silver and Black, as the power structure in Las Vegas is confusing with minority owner Tom Brady in the picture. Brady did, however, recently have some praise for Mendoza, which may get Raider Nation's hopes up.
Raiders minority owner Tom Brady had strong praise for Fernando Mendoza
The Raiders have drafted just five first-round quarterbacks in their entire history, with just three of those selections coming after the AFL-NFL merger. None of those moves worked out for the franchise, however.
While the two players selected before the merger opted to sign with the NFL and never played for the organization, the three post-merger selections all threw more interceptions than touchdowns. It is almost impossible to draft this poorly.
That history has seemingly prevented the front office from using premium draft capital on the quarterback position. But with Brady now a part of the ownership group, fans are clinging to his strong praise for Mendoza during a recent episode of Fox's NFL Sunday pre-game show.
"I love everything about his game, certainly," Brady said. "His leadership is what stands out to me. It's his relatability to his teammates. He's overcome a lot of things in his career. He's a Miami kid, went to Cal, to Indiana. And then you go to a program that hasn't won anything in forever. And what he's done this season is so impressive."
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Brady, who won seven Super Bowls under center, figures to be a prominent voice when it comes to the Raiders addressing the position this offseason. While he has not publicly commented on Dante Moore, both have worked with Tom House, a famous throwing coach, so there is a connection there.
Still, his comments about Mendoza could lead Raider Nation to believe that the minority owner may be at least considering the Indiana Hoosiers star. In his first game after winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy, he led Indiana to a dominant 38-3 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl.
Mendoza threw the ball just 16 times, completing 14 of those passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. His Hoosiers are set to face Moore's Oregon Ducks in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on January 9 in a game that every Raiders fan will likely be paying close attention to.