Brady is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, the team that selected Mendoza as the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
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NEED TO KNOW
- Fernando Mendoza went viral for his FaceTime call with Tom Brady before being drafted first overall by the Raiders
- The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner led Indiana to a College Football Playoff national championship earlier this year
- Mendoza previously opened up about the advice Brady shared with him as he makes his NFL transition
Fernando Mendoza is already taking notes.
Just before the rookie quarterback, 22, was selected first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft, he got a call from Tom Brady, as seen in a video the team shared on their Instagram account on Friday, June 19.
The clip, which was filmed for an episode of the Raiders’ “Behind the Shield” series, sees Mendoza at the NFL Combine ahead of an interview. He greets everyone in the room, shakes their hands and is directed to a FaceTime call with a special someone: Brady, who is a minority owner of the team.
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“Oh shoot! What’s up, Mr. Brady? How you doing?” the former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback says in disbelief while speaking with the NFL G.O.A.T., 48, adding, “Tom, how you doing?”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion hilariously corrected Mendoza for how he addressed him, and made clear what he should call him instead.
“You can call me Tom. Mr. Brady’s my dad,” the longtime Patriots quarterback told the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.
The rookie and vet have a conversation, which was all documented in the video.
“How you doing, man?” asks Brady. “I’m great. I’m blessed here at the Combine right now, about to get this interview going. I’m great. Ready for the opportunity,” Mendoza replied.
Brady added, “Well I was just telling everybody that I wanted to say ‘hi,’ and good luck on everything. Just keep being yourself man, you’re doing a great job.”
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“I appreciate it, thank you. God bless,” replied Mendoza.
On Thursday, April 23, Mendoza received the life-altering phone call from the Raiders at home in South Florida. He was joined by friends and family, including his mother Elsa, who has multiple sclerosis.
Mendoza, who won the College Football Playoff national championship earlier this year, was widely expected to land with the Raiders, who dealt last season’s starting quarterback, Geno Smith, to the New York Jets in March.
Las Vegas finished the 2025 regular season with a 3-14 record.
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Ahead of the draft, Mendoza revealed what Brady said when he visited the team.
“I met him in the official 30 visits at the Raiders,” Mendoza said during his appearance on the The Dan Patrick Show. “It was fantastic. He gave me the message that he’s going to push me, and he’s not going to be all lovey-dovey.”
“And if the Raiders draft me, he’s going to be a mentor and wants to pour into whatever quarterback the Raiders have, whether it’s me, whether they draft somebody else,” he shared, noting the Raiders just signed 37-year-old quarterback Kirk Cousins to a contract.
“If I’m lucky enough to go to the Raiders, I think it’ll be a great opportunity to learn from someone who has had so much success over the years, and who I think has a very similar playing style as me,” said Mendoza, who revealed he’s studied Cousins’ style of play specifically.
*SOURCE BY PEOPLE
