On Monday night, in his role as a Raiders minority owner and close collaborator to G.M. John Spytek in the running of the football operation, Tom Brady attended the Miami-Indiana game to check out the players. On Friday, in his role as a Fox employee, Brady appeared on FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
Cowherd asked what Brady saw from the potential No. 1 pick in the draft, quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Given that the Raiders earned the No. 1 pick in the normal way (by playing more abnormally than any other team), Brady’s assessment of Mendoza is critical.
“I’d never been to a national championship game,” Brady said, “but just to see kind of the environment, the atmosphere, you know, did it feel too big for anybody? And he’s played tremendous all season, 16-0, leading his team, and again, he’s another guy that, you know, when you hear him speak, I always kind of judge quarterbacks. I go, ‘How would I have answered that?’ And he’s just a very mature young man, and he’s got a bright future, and everybody coming to the league. There’s still so much room for development. Nobody’s a finished product.
“I don’t care whether [you’ve] won the Heisman or you’re the 199th pick in the draft. It’s what do you do when you get there? How important is this to you? Are you obsessed with your job? Are you obsessed with being the best you can be? These young men, whether it’s Fernando or a lot of other players that were on the field the other night, they have a great opportunity to do something in their life, to enhance their family’s life, to go impact a community in a positive way by playing great football and bringing joy to the fan base. And that’s a job you take very seriously. So, all these young prospects, I hope they go to environments that embrace them completely, that can help them develop into the best player they can be.
“That’s how I . . . kind of grew up in the league. I found a great environment, It was all about football. It was about, you know, like you mentioned earlier, about how can you be the best teammate? How can you work hard? How can you play smart? How can you play tough? How can you play well under pressure? How well can you play in tough conditions? And then, ultimately, how well can you play in championship games? And all those things remain to be seen.”
While Brady seemed impressed by Mendoza, the process will surely include Brady attempting to discern whether Mendoza is willing to commit himself fully and completely to maximizing his talents. For now, Brady has a clear interest in talking Mendoza up, since that potentially drives up the value of the first overall pick, if the Raiders are inclined to trade it.
It’s a basic reality for any team with the top pick. If you decide he’s the guy, you take him. If you decide he’s not the guy, you nevertheless act like you think he is, so that someone else will feel strongly enough to offer more than they should to move up for the player.
Whether the Raiders take Mendoza or trade the pick, to borrow Brady’s final words on the matter, remains to be seen. They clearly need a long-term answer at quarterback. They have many other needs, too. Are they ultimately willing to pin their hopes on Mendoza, or to use Mendoza as an asset that unlocks the ability to accumulate multiple players?
It’s another example of the conflict of Brady wearing two hats. His Fox role ideally entails giving honest, candid assessments to the audience. His Raiders role has a far more strategic component. Basically, if Brady doesn’t think Mendoza is worth the first overall pick in the draft, Brady has zero incentive to say it out loud, privately or publicly or when appearing on any Fox broadcast.
