Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL summer has already drawn some heavyweight praise, and Troy Aikman just added his voice to the growing chorus.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, speaking on "NFL Countdown," said the Raiders rookie has flashed something special in a short amount of time. "I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but he has shown me already, in such a short time, that this young man is capable of being a really great player in this league," Aikman said.
That kind of reaction carries real weight, especially for a player who entered Las Vegas with a monster college résumé. In 2025, Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and an FBS-leading 41 touchdowns at Indiana, completing 72% of his passes. He then helped power the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 season and the program’s first national title, a run that also earned him the Heisman Trophy.
The Raiders made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, and he signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $57.27 million rookie contract in July.
Mendoza has backed up the hype so far in preseason action. On Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals, he went 10-of-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown. Through two preseason games, he has completed 18 of 31 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak described him afterward as "an ascending player," and Mendoza is set to start and play through the entire first half in the team’s next preseason game.
Still, the path to the regular-season job is not settled. Kubiak has generally leaned toward starting experienced veterans when possible, which leaves Mendoza behind Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell on the summer depth chart. But general manager John Spytek has said the best player will start no matter the experience level, keeping the rookie squarely in the mix.
Aikman’s comments only deepen the buzz around Mendoza. Tom Brady had already called him a player with "a bright future" back in January, and now another elite quarterback has put a similar stamp of approval on the Raiders’ young signal-caller.
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