A.Q. Shipley, a former Tom Brady teammate, reveals the QB's eagerness to mentor incoming Las Vegas Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza.
In a very unsurprising turn of events, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana Hoosiers quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
Mendoza was not in the green room, rather, the signal-caller decided weeks before that he would celebrate the occasion in Miami with his family.
The Raiders need a new QB, and Mendoza makes way too much sense in every matter for Las Vegas.
And, another wrinkle is that Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady is a minority owner, so there is a chance the seven-time Super Bowl winner can work hands on with Mendoza.
Sure, Brady is busy, but A.Q. Shipley, who was teammate's with Brady in 2020 on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, admitted that Brady would more than likely love to work with Mendoza, even with his busy schedule.
Shipley was asked if Brady would embrace working with Mendoza.
“I really do think so,” Shipley said during an exclusive interview with Kyle Odegard of Vegas Insider. “Tom wants to win at all costs. More than anybody I’ve ever seen. So if his name is on the Raiders, he will do everything he can to help that organization. What does that entail? He’s only the smartest quarterback that’s ever played the game. So I think he would 100 percent bend over backwards to take on that role.”
Now, Mendoza could surely benefit a lot from learning from Brady, and this isn't an opportunity many other quarterbacks have when they enter the NFL.
Mendoza is calm, cool and collected, and is fresh off an undefeated season where Indiana won the national title.
Still, Brady working with Mendoza would be a huge boost for the Raiders and their rookie QB.
“He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around, and when you watch his ability to prepare, his ability to see the game before it happens, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Shipley said as part of the interview with Kyle Odegard. “When I watch that, there is so much stuff he can give to a young quarterback. I think he will love doing that.”
Former NFL QB Kurt Warner also said he met with Mendoza when he played for Cal.
During the pre-draft process, Mendoza has done nothing but hammer home the fact that he is far and away the No. 1 QB in this class.
And, if Brady gets even a small chance to work with Mendoza in some capacity, it will be very beneficial for the Raiders and the young QB as Las Vegas surely hopes that this can be the answer to their QB carousel.