Fernando Mendoza definitely has experience leading a team. He led Indiana to an undefeated season and a national title this past college season and won the Heisman Trophy.
So, what’s the secret behind his success at leading a football team? Mendoza told Raiders media that his wholesome, sweet persona that he emulates off the field takes a back seat when he’s in football mode. He specifically mentioned how legendary quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers’s leadership on the field inspires him in his response.
“Although I’ve came off as very humble and pretty fuzzy and warm, at the end of my Indiana career, when you have that equity you’re able to be like No. 4 [Favre] and No. 12 [Rodgers],” Mendoza said. “If you ask my teammates, that’s stuff that I was. I wasn’t always the nice guy, I was an A-hole sometimes, I wanted everyone to do their 1/11th, everyone to do their job, hold everyone to a high standard.”
This leadership mindset obviously works well for Mendoza based on all the success he had during his one year in Indiana.
Mendoza acknowledges that he won’t come into the Raiders organization with this leadership mindset right off the bat as a rookie. He will need to gain the trust of his new teammates before taking over as a leader. It’s clear he knows how to go about reaching this level of confidence, though.
“However, coming a new organization, starting from the bottom of the totem pole, I believe that leadership is earned, not given,” Mendoza continued. “There’s so many amazing leaders on this team. Especially the quarterback, there’s two things you need to be a leader. Number one, you gotta play well. Play well, others will respect you, that’s why No. 4 and No. 12 are both Hall of Famers. You gotta play well, you gotta do your job before you can hold other people accountable. And, number two, you gotta create equity, whether it’s work ethic, whether it’s caring about your teammates, connect with them on a personal level. Just being one of the guys.”
Based on how Mendoza adjusted to fitting in with the Hoosiers last season, we have no doubt he’ll fit right in with his new squad. How can you not love him?
Maxx Crosby offers new teammate Mendoza advice
One of Mendoza’s new Las Vegas teammates, Maxx Crosby, recently gave the quarterback some advice ahead of him officially joining the team. One of the tidbits he mentioned was how to win over the respect of his teammates, something Mendoza plans to prioritize doing.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to go out there and just compete and just put your best foot forward, that's what it all comes down to and that's where you earn respect from the guys,” Crosby said.
Crosby also harped on how Mendoza needs to be his authentic self when he enters the Raiders’ locker room. There’s a chance Mendoza won’t be named QB1 to start the season, and even if that’s the case, Crosby believes the rookie just needs to keep true to himself and it will pay off for him.
“I think for him, just come in and just be himself. That's what I told him. Just just be yourself. Come in and do what you do,” Crosby said. “… Even if you're not the starter, still carry yourself like you're the starter. … Don't wait until you're out there on the field to go and lead. Like even if you're the second-string guy, if you're the third-string guy, whatever it is, still be 100% yourself and let your personality show and just be authentic. I think that's the most important thing.”
Mendoza will compete for the starting role against one of his role models, Kirk Cousins, in Las Vegas ahead of the 2026 season. We expect that Mendoza will get the nod to start at some point this upcoming season, even if it isn’t to kick things off.
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MADISON WILLIAMS
Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University.
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