Tom Brady, for all his great qualities, certainly likes to play both sides. It frustrates those in the NFL landscape, and it frustrates fans of the Las Vegas Raiders. Yes, he made a commitment to FOX Sports, among many other things, but Raider Nation largely wants his eyes fixated on Las Vegas.
And at times, it seems like he does. Various reports have confirmed that Brady is very involved with the inner workings of the team, and that he even has watchdogs in the building to monitor the day-to-day. Others assert that his minority ownership of the Raiders is a mere business venture.
But on Night 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Brady seemingly bled a bit of Silver and Black. Although he sent out a message intended for every player drafted on Thursday and over the coming days, Brady made sure to single Mendoza out. Finally, Las Vegas' minority owner is... taking some ownership.
Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady went out of his way to send Fernando Mendoza a message
Shortly after the Raiders officially made Mendoza the first pick off the board, Brady took to social media and posted his message for the draft class. And as we mentioned, he separated Mendoza from the rest of the pack.
"Congratulations to all the rookies who are joining the NFL this weekend. I hope you can appreciate this special moment," Brady wrote. "You’ve earned it through hard work, discipline, and determination. You’ve made your family proud, along with everyone else on your journey that has supported you.
"But this is just the beginning. When you wake up tomorrow morning, just know that your career will be defined by what happens going forward. You’ll need to take everything you do to the next level in order to compete with the world’s best.
"Welcome to Las Vegas @fernandomendoza . Time to get to work. | @raiders"
Up until those last two sentences, this just felt like a generic and impersonal social media post made by an all-time great player to stay relevant or appease his PR people. But the final line let Raiders fans know that it was actually Brady clacking the keys.
And more importantly, that he cared enough to say something.
At least publicly, Brady has been fairly quiet or indifferent about his minority ownership of the team. It almost feels, at times, like he doesn't want his face associated with the Silver and Black until the team actually turns things around.
However, Brady seems to be all-in on mentoring Mendoza, as the young quarterback told the media ahead of the draft. With a glimmer of hope in the building now, perhaps one of the game's all-time greatest players will be a bit more hands-on, or at least involved.
Brady could have waited until the end of the weekend to post this, or done it before the event, and not made mention of Mendoza specifically. But welcoming him to Las Vegas just minutes after the pick is made feels like Brady is more invested than some fans give him credit for.
Let's hope he can develop Mendoza and prove that he is worth his piece of the Raiders' pie.
Add us as a preferred source on Google