KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Peyton Manning personally called Fernando Mendoza, urging him to attend Thursday’s draft in Pittsburgh
- The NFL recruited Manning as an ambassador specifically for this job — the league wanted its No. 1 pick on stage
- Mendoza declined, sticking with his plan to celebrate at home in Miami with family and friends
- Somewhere Al Davis is smiling — the Raiders’ reputation for doing things their own way remains intact
THE NEWS
Even Peyton Manning couldn’t get Fernando Mendoza to change his mind.
The NFL recruited Manning — a future Hall of Famer who once sat where Mendoza will sit Thursday night — to personally convince the projected No. 1 overall pick to attend the draft in Pittsburgh. Manning spoke with reporters Wednesday and revealed exactly how hard he pushed.
“The NFL reached out to me, I reached out to Mendoza to maybe encourage him to go to the draft,” Manning said. “I know he’s staying home with his family, which will be fine. But it is special to be there… I remember getting drafted. I flew to Indianapolis for a little press conference and then the Colts flew me to Knoxville and I had a draft party. That was my message to Fernando is you can do both. You can go to the draft and have a good party.”
Manning’s pitch was reasonable. His experience was relevant. The NFL clearly wanted him making this case because they wanted Mendoza on that stage with Roger Goodell Thursday night. Instead, Mendoza said no. He’ll be in Miami with his family, watching the draft like the rest of us.
That’s fine. But the NFL — and specifically Goodell, who has turned the draft into a massive produced spectacle — clearly wanted its top pick in the room. Manning was the closer. It didn’t work.
Manning discussed his outreach on Wednesday, as reported by Parker Gabriel: https://x.com/parkerjgabriel/status/2047097076119708149?s=46&t=m3Ri2rmhL0_iMZdDX81MwA
WALK THE PLANK
Let’s be real: this is a perfect Raiders story.
The NFL pulls out all the stops. Brings in Peyton Manning — a living legend, a guy who knows exactly what that night feels like — and asks him to make a sales pitch on the league’s behalf. And Mendoza, the kid who’s about to become the face of the Las Vegas Raiders, looks Goodell in the eye and says nah, I’m good.
This fan base has spent years watching the league push agendas, bend rules, and build narratives around other franchises. Now the top pick in the draft, the future of this franchise, just told the NFL’s golden child no on behalf of his family. And honestly? He might not be wrong.
Manning’s advice was “you can do both.” But Mendoza’s people have been with him through every stop of this journey — from Boston to Miami, from high school to Indiana to now. They were at the Big Ten Championship. The playoff games. The national title game. The Heisman ceremony. They were there. And they deserve to be there Thursday night too, wherever “there” actually is for them.
The NFL wanted a moment. Mendoza wanted his people around him. Both things can be true, and one of them matters more.
Somewhere Al Davis is smiling.
