Raiders Rookie Fernando Mendoza Prioritizes Practice Over Meeting Donald Trump at White House

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza may skip the visit to the White House with his Indiana teammates to attend the Raiders OTAs.

Raiders Rookie Fernando Mendoza Prioritizes Practice Over Meeting Donald Trump at White House

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (Image via IMAGO/X)

In Short
  • Fernando Mendoza prioritizes Raiders OTAs over attending Indiana's White House visit.
  • The Hoosiers' visit is scheduled for May 11, coinciding with Mendoza's practice commitments.
  • Mendoza's jersey is among the top five best-selling rookie jerseys since the NFL draft.

Fernando Mendoza has yet to decide whether he will join his former Indiana Hoosiers teammates during their visit to the White House later this month. That’s because the first overall draft pick for the Las Vegas Raiders does not want to miss out on the team’s OTAs.

Mendoza led Indiana to an unbeaten 16-0 season in 2025. The Hoosiers defeated Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and Miami en route to their historic championship run.

As the reigning college football champions, Indiana earned the right to visit the White House and meet with President Donald Trump. However, Mendoza remains unsure whether he will be part of the Indiana entourage.

I believe May 11 is the first day of [the Raiders’] OTAs. If I’m not mistaken, I have the calendar – I mean I don’t have a calendar, so… If it is on the first day of OTAs, like I said, I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here. I gotta prove myself. I can’t miss practice … I’m a rookie. I don’t think that’s a good look.

Fernando Mendoza told reporters on Saturday

Can Fernando Mendoza join Indiana on the team’s trip to White House to meet with President Donald Trump?

The first thing that jumps out about Mendoza is his humble nature and his willingness to improve his craft. The 22-year-old is not shy about talking about where he stands as a football player and what it will take from him to get better.

Raiders Rookie Fernando Mendoza Prioritizes Practice Over Meeting Donald Trump at White House
Fernando Mendoza (Image via IMAGO)

OTAs are important for a rookie because this is when they get to share the field with the veterans of the team for the first time. For someone like Mendoza, who could become the face of the franchise in the near future, attending workouts such as these is important.

But an exclusive invitation to meet with the President of the country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (unless they are Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce). The Hoosiers are scheduled to visit the White House on May 11.

According to Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times,

Indiana football sets White House visit for May 11, a long-standing tradition for national champions. The Hoosiers are hoping to bring as many players from [the 2025 team as they can, even as they are now obviously all over the country.

Mendoza can join his old teammates on May 11, as the Raiders’ OTAs kick off a week later, on May 18, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. The workouts will continue on May 20-21, May 26, May 28-29, and June 1-4.

Mendoza’s Raiders jersey is selling like hotcakes

The Raiders’ drafting Mendoza was the worst-kept secret leading up to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calling his name on day one of the draft. Mendoza wasn’t present at the event, but that didn’t stop Raiders fans from buying up his jerseys at the local fan store across Sin City and nationwide. Fanatics’ stats revealed that Mendoza’s jersey is the fifth most sold rookie jersey since the draft.

Top 10 best-selling rookie jerseys (Fanatics and FOX Sports) are mentioned below:

1. Caleb Downs (Dallas Cowboys) 2. Jacob Rodriguez (Miami Dolphins) 3. Malachi Lawrence (Dallas Cowboys) 4. Drew Allar (Pittsburgh Steelers) 5. Fernando Mendoza (Las Vegas Raiders) 6. Chris Johnson (Miami Dolphins) 7. Jeremiyah Love (Arizona Cardinals) 8. Caleb Lomu (New England Patriots) 9. Dillon Thieneman (Chicago Bears) 10. David Bailey (New York Jets)

Mendoza is unlikely to start for the Raiders in week one. Head coach Klint Kubiak wants to properly integrate him into his system before handing him the starting quarterback job. Until then, Kirk Cousins will run the offense from under center.

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