The first thing Fernando Mendoza did after he played exceptionally in his NFL preseason debut Thursday night was to thank God.
Any long-suffering Las Vegas Raiders fan who saw the rookie first-round pick's outing, preseason or not, would have similarly thanked God.
Because the Raiders have something here.
"First, I want to thank God and my teammates and coaches for allowing me the opportunity," Mendoza told reporters. "Today was an invigorating experience where there's not many moments where you feel fully alive, and on the field is when you feel fully alive, especially in the NFL atmosphere.
EX-NFL STAR CALLS FERNANDO MENDOZA 'THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER' OF THE 2026 DRAFT
"So I want to give thanks for that. It was great to get out there, get my feet wet .. I think it was a good experience."
Anyone who watched would know Mendoza played well and if you didn't watch, be confident that his 100.3 quarterback rating and TD pass without a turnover in his nearly three quarters of work was impressive.
"As far as getting in and out of the huddle and commanding the group and getting the play-calls down, I saw the same guy we've seen in practice," coach Klint Kubiak said. "I saw an ascending player."
And this is where the temptation is going to be to overreact and start the discussion about Mendoza supplanting veteran Kirk Cousins as the Las Vegas starting quarterback.
That throw Mendoza made in the first half between two defenders downfield between the hashmarks and numbers was elite. It's the kind of throw that demands opportunities in the regular season.
But the Raiders will resist the temptation to have Mendoza run before he walks. The Raiders expect to go with Cousins as their starter unless something drastic happens.
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"Kirk has been getting the reps with the ones," Kubiak said. "I think he's had a solid training camp and it's his job to lose."
This is good. And ordered.
It almost doesn't feel like the Raiders.
The franchise that once boasted a "Commitment to Excellence" has committed shameful acts in recent seasons.
Remember that Jon Gruden had to quit midseason over an email scandal. Remember that Henry Ruggs III was involved in a fiery drunk driving crash that killed a woman and her dog. Remember that coach Josh McDaniels got fired before he finished two seasons, coach Antonio Pierce got fired after one season, and coach Pete Carroll similarly went one-and-done.
How do you think the Raiders got in position to pick Mendoza? They've been a mess.
But rookie coach Kubiak doesn't seem too flummoxed by anything, while Mendoza seems perfect for Vegas — and by that we mean he's a self-described nerd.
Mendoza doesn't hit the Strip because he'd rather hit the playbook. Even Thursday night he talked about going home after the game because he had nothing else to do and watch the tape even as the casinos and lounge acts were just warming up.
Club minority owner Tom Brady was on the field before this game and someone suggested afterward that Mendoza had a better career debut than Brady did. That's fact, by the way.
Back in 2000, Brady was where Mendoza finds himself now. And in his first NFL action that came midway through the fourth quarter against San Francisco 49ers backups, Brady completed 3 of 4 passes for 28 yards in 17 otherwise forgettable snaps.
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Mendoza completed three times as many passes for more than three times as many yards with a touchdown pass.
But out of that comes zero arrogance.
Mendoza mentioned that "Mr. Brady" spoke to the team the night before the game. And he said that, as a former UC Berkeley backup quarterback, that long-ago third-stringer would have never imagined playing for an NFL legacy franchise.
Mendoza, it seems, is a player paid to throw the football who remains very grounded.
"Overall, I felt that the group that I was in with, you know, they blocked fantastic, they ran great routes, the run game was good," Mendoza said. "Unfortunately, I let my teammates down today.
"But it's a growing experience. I feel like we're all growing. And it showed me that I need to grow a lot."
