Raiders GM John Spytek discusses how Tom Brady will and won't mentor Fernando Mendoza

Even before the Las Vegas Raiders officially selected Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23, the former Indiana Hoosiers star quarterback made it known that he was excited to have Raiders minority owner Tom Brady as a mentor and a boss. 

Brady is allegedly "the de facto boss when it comes to football matters" with the Raiders. Thus, one may assume that Raiders general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak will have to follow Brady's every instruction as it pertains to Mendoza's development. 

During a recent appearance on the FanDuel TV "Up & Adams" program, Spytek was asked if it would be difficult to keep Brady from being too involved regarding the handling of the club's quarterback situation. 

Tom Brady "has empowered" others to run the Raiders' day-to-day operations?

"I don’t think it’s going to be hard," Spytek said, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "[Spytek and Kubiak] both welcome Tom’s insight and his input. But at the same time, I would say Tom has empowered us to run the day-to-day of the Raiders the way that we see fit. And obviously, with the right vision and process in place, we’re going to be a very process-driven organization right now. And I think that wouldn’t surprise anybody with the way that Tom has operated throughout his career."

The Raiders reportedly are serious about letting Mendoza develop as an unused backup for veteran Kirk Cousins through at least a portion of the 2026 season. Previous comments made by Brady could lead one to believe he would be fine if Mendoza took no regular-season snaps before September 2027. 

John Spytek, Klint Kubiak appreciate the support they've received from Tom Brady 

"I think that Klint and I both feel the support that [Brady has] given us to do the day-to-day stuff the right way and to accentuate the right things, to hold people accountable, especially the quarterback room," Spytek continued. "There’s no more important room in our building from a players' standpoint than the quarterback room — everybody knows that. It’s the hardest position in sports to play. So, there’s going to be a high level of accountability and demand that comes with that. But I think we both are just very appreciative of the way Tom operates and the insights and the knowledge he shares with us. But also, the way that he allows us to do things the right way, day-to-day." 

Brady will be on the road calling games for Fox once the regular season gets underway in September. Unless that changes, he should want those who see Mendoza on a daily basis to have the final say on when the 22-year-old plays against a live defense in a meaningful game.