Tom Brady is determined not to throw Fernando Mendoza to the wolves.The Las Vegas Raiders spent the No. 1 pick on the man expected to lead the franchise back into the glory days, fresh off a national championship at Indiana.Brady had plenty of time to sit and learn before being named starterGettyFans are excited to see Mendoza take the reins, but experienced vet Kirk Cousins has been brought in to act as a bridge while the rookie develops.Brady sat for over a season behind Drew Bledsoe before taking over the New England Patriots, and insists that the youngster will not be handed the starting role on a silver platter.“I love Fernando, but Fernando is like every other young rookie. He’s got to go out there and earn it like everybody else,” the seven-time Super Bowl champ told Fox Business.“And I am excited about the opportunity for our team to have him as a first overall pick. He has done a lot of hard work to get to this point.”There are high hopes for Mendoza, who will be able to learn from Brady and Cousins while being held out of the firing line.The Raiders co-owner insists that what he does with those lessons will determine whether he becomes yet another No. 1 pick who fails to bridge the gap.“Like everyone at their age, none of these young players, rookies, have ever had a meaningful snap in the NFL,” Brady explained.“Their career and journey will be determined by the work they put in, by adversities that they overcome, by the kind of teammate, team player they are.”Cousins is widely tipped to start the season at the helm and if all is well in Sin City, could hold onto the jersey for most — if not all — of the campaign.That would be a dream scenario for the Raiders and allow Mendoza time to hone his craft before being unleashed on NFL defenses.Mendoza has carried himself well but the real test begins in preseasonGettyThe rookie was named Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports at the 2026 ESPY AwardsGettyNBC Sports insider Mike Florio claimed on Pro Football Talk Live that a poor start could lead to massive pressure from inside the organization to find out if the 22-year-old will sink or swim.He said of the Raiders’ plan: “That may be fine in theory, but when you’re out on the practice field, if Mendoza is clearly better than Kirk Cousins this deep into his career at this age, late 30s … and you’ve got some grand strategic plan that you’re going to let him sit for a year, what’s Maxx Crosby going to say about that? What’s Brock Bowers going to say about that?”Fernando Mendoza opens up on Tom Brady relationshipMendoza has gone about his business well since turning pro and has talked up Cousins, highlighting how dedicated his elder teammate is to film study.He also shed some light on his interactions with Brady.“I usually like to keep the talks between Tom and me private,” he told the Raiders’ official YouTube channel.“But I do think what he said as a quarterback is you need to be the most everything.NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?“You need to be the most competitive. You need to be the most leader. You have to have the most leadership. You need to be the toughest, mentally and physically.“You’ve got to embody all these things and lead by example before getting the respect from your teammates, in order to lead effectively,” he continued.“That really resonated with me.”Stay up to date on all things NFL across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.