Most of the talk surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders over the past year has been about Tom Brady's involvement as a minority owner and how much say he has in what the team is doing. Based on the countless rumors from NFL insiders, it seems as though he has a lot of input in the direction of the team, including who they'll select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Because they don't have a clear future at quarterback, it is believed they will take the best of the incoming class, and analysts have predominantly anointed Indiana's Fernando Mendoza as that guy this year.
That was only solidified further with the quarterback leading his team to the National Title on Monday night, and he appeared to take his moment to send a clear message to Brady, and it might be one that the greatest of all time can't ignore.
Fernando Mendoza might want to be the Raiders' next first-round pick
In his first words of celebration after defeating Miami in the National Championship, Mendoza inadvertently or maybe purposely used an infamous quote associated with Brady as his parting words of the interview: "Let's f'n go!"
That phrase is so tied to Brady that he even gives out an award of the same name to the best player from every game he calls each week, making it seem even more that Mendoza might have said this purposely with the draft right around the corner.
pic.twitter.com/MvZNyuhM6q https://t.co/XkrYYbVudg
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) January 20, 2026
Maybe it's just a coincidence, since it is a common phrase for athletes. Or perhaps it was an intentional message to the team that could make him the first overall pick in April; we may never know.
But it is fun to speculate, especially since Brady is said to have a lot of say in who the Raiders' next quarterback is. There's a good chance that it's Mendoza, and what better way to seal the deal than win the National Championship?