Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza does not walk away from contact, taking life head-on at full speed. While his tone isn’t overbearing or commanding, the rookie clearly articulates his point. Making the transition from college to the NFL looks daunting. Additionally, being the face of a franchise that desperately craves relevance and a return to its former glory will weigh on anybody.
Yet, behind every quarterback, there is a head coach who sees what he wants to accomplish. Mendoza’s last two coaches, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, are just as similar as they are different. As a guest of teammate Maxx Crosby’s podcast, Mendoza opened up about his thoughts.
“You see the same similarities with Coach Kubiak pushing and really making sure you’re doing everything, rather than giving you a pat on the back and finding something to improve, because I have a lot to improve on. I think the example of, you know, in practice you’ll have a good play,” he said. “For example, you make a big completion, and you’re looking forward to seeing it on film, and then both of those guys would be like, ‘Come on, really? You took an extra hitch,’ or ‘Come on, instead of five yards you were at four and a half.’ And you’re like, ‘What?”
More slo-mo Fernando Mendoza spirals 🤌
🎥 Raiders pic.twitter.com/Co9OfZtfw4
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) May 29, 2026
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The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree
Kubiak and Cignetti share the most basic element of football: they are the sons of the head coach. After a career as John Elway’s backup, Gary Kubiak entered the coaching ranks, winning two Super Bowls as an assistant and one as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
The Raiders’ head coach grew up in and around the game, understanding its nuances and details. Similarly, Frank Cignetti coached at various stops before taking the helm at West Virginia and Division 2 Indiana University of Pennsylvania, earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. As a result, the sons were present for the conversations and the meticulous, detail-oriented approach. Initially unsure, Mendoza began to understand how driven coaches are.
“Then you see, especially with Cignetti, having spent a whole season with him, like when he’s riding me on all these things in fall camp, I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ and then the season you see it show up. And it’s like OK, that pass was completed by this much because I was at the right depth or because I didn’t take the extra hitch.”
According to Fernando “all day, all night” Curt Cignetti is always watching film #iufb
“Even when you’re talking to him he is watching film up there… sometimes won’t even take his eyes to you he’s so locked into film” https://t.co/SvTWXQ5ch3 pic.twitter.com/P6GcLT8sd2
— Hoosier Review (@Hoosier_Review) July 8, 2026
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The Superstar Treatment Vanishes
Mendoza heads to the Raiders facility with the Heisman Trophy, a national championship ring, and more. However, in the NFL, according to the quarterback’s interpretation of the head coach, those awards and kudos no longer matter.
“And then for my thing, one thing that I think Coach Cignetti and Coach Kubiak both preach in a way is that everyone’s equal,” he said. “And how I see that as a quarterback is killing the ego.”
Mendoza is supremely confident. Anyone who proudly proclaims that he eats chicken nuggets as his game-time meal is clearly aware. The Raiders have invested their future in his hands.
‘Killing the Ego’: QB Fernando Mendoza Unleashes Brutal Truth About Raiders’ Klint Kubiak