Tom Brady involvement in Raiders QB decision(Image via: Imagn Images)
ESPN’s Peter Schrager confirmed as much on the Pat McAfee Show.
“As long as Tom Brady was a part of this, and I’m told this year he has been very vocal and has been a part of it, they weren’t going to rush their first overall pick just to sell some extra tickets or to sell a jersey. The reason traces back to Brady. As a team executive and part owner, he has argued consistently that young quarterbacks develop better when they sit behind a veteran rather than getting thrown into the fire. It’s not a random philosophy. Brady himself didn’t start as a rookie. He watched, absorbed, and was ready when his moment came. He believes the same path gives Mendoza the best shot at actually becoming what the Raiders think he can be. They were going to make sure that he’s ready to go. That line cuts through all the preseason noise. This wasn’t about Cousins outplaying Mendoza. It was a deliberate, calculated plan. More than most people realize. Kubiak has been unusually open about leaning on Brady as a resource, telling reporters: “We lean on him for a lot of things. Talk to him multiple times a week and he’s been extremely helpful for roster building, for schematics, for team building. You name it, he’s been helpful with it. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines He’s been an extremely impressive resource. That’s a head coach describing a minority owner as someone involved in nearly every layer of the organization. Brady isn’t just writing checks and showing up for games. He’s in the building, literally and figuratively. The Raiders also have real concerns about what surrounds Mendoza right now — an unproven wide receiver corps and an offensive line still figuring itself out. Putting a rookie quarterback behind that group and expecting results would be setting him up to absorb punishment and bad habits simultaneously. Graziano’s reporting captured it plainly: the team wants Mendoza working on weaknesses without any pressure to rush. Cousins buys time. Brady is making sure that time is used well. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
1 overall pick. And yet, when the Las Vegas Raiders announced their Week 1 starting quarterback, it was Kirk Cousins getting the nod — not the shiny new draft pick fans had been waiting all offseason to watch. The official line from head coach Klint Kubiak was straightforward — Cousins won the competition. But ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported something far more telling: the Raiders had been telling people since the NFL combine that Mendoza wasn’t going to play right away.
Months before any “quarterback competition” was ever framed for public consumption. Fernando Mendoza was the No. He was supposed to be the future. The decision surprised almost nobody on the surface. But what most people missed was who actually drove it. This wasn’t just a coaching call. Tom Brady had a very specific opinion, and he made sure the Raiders listened. That’s months before training camp.