The Denver Broncos were one win away from a Super Bowl appearance last year. They hope that they can replicate that sort of success again in 2026, but they will have to deal with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers once again.
While the Las Vegas Raiders aren't expected to be a contender in the AFC West in 2026, Denver fans won't be thrilled to hear that former quarterback Tom Brady is mentoring rookie Fernando Mendoza.
During an episode on "The Overlap" podcast, Brady expressed that he talks to Mendoza all the time and constantly asks him questions about what he needs for his development. The fact that the greatest quarterback of all time is behind the scenes helping develop a Broncos rival isn't fitting, and what fans want to hear.
Tom Brady’s influence on Fernando Mendoza will start to annoy Broncos fans
The Broncos won the division in 2025 for the first time since 2015, in large part because of their struggles at quarterback. Before they were able to land the combination of Sean Payton and Bo Nix, Denver had to go through the mud.
They had to start guys like Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Brandon Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, Russell Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and the shell of Payton Manning.
Getting a franchise quarterback isn't an easy task, and the Raiders believe they got in with Mendoza. He was the best collegiate quarterback last year at Indiana, where they won a National Championship. In 16 games, he completed 72 percent of his throws for 3,535 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns.
The fact that he's coming off a season like that and is learning from the greatest quarterback in NFL history can't be understated. Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, and three-time MVP. There aren't many players in the history of the league who were wired like Brady, so giving any sort of insight to Mendoza isn't beneficial for Denver.
Considering that Brady is a minority owner for the Raiders, he isn't going to leave anytime soon. Instead, he plans to be a sounding board for Mendoza. And even though the Raiders have plenty of work to do around the rest of the team, they feel confident in their rookie's long-term ability, especially with the guidance from Brady.
Ever since Nix took over as the starter, he's 4-0 against Las Vegas. They expect to continue this dominance in 2026, but as time goes on, the Raiders expect to make a run with Mendoza under center. It may take some time for the lessons that Brady taught him to show, but regardless, seeing your rival use an all-time great to mentor their rookie quarterback is less than ideal, to say the least. You never want to see your rival get any sort of advantage, but that seems to be the case here for Denver.
Brady's teachings have already rubbed off on Mendoza, despite being around for less than two months. As more time goes on, the more info he will absorb from Brady.
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