Fernando Mendoza Gets Pressured by Raiders Teammate Kirk Cousins to Reveal How Much He Made in NIL Deals

• Fernando Mendoza was asked by Raiders teammate Kirk Cousins to share his NIL earnings during an episode of Bussin’ with the Boys released on Tuesday, Aug. 18
• Mendoza said he’d like to “plead the fifth” as Cousins and the show’s hosts egged him on to reveal the amount
• Cousins said NFL vets “wish they were a part of” NIL earnings

Fernando Mendoza played coy about his NIL earnings.

The 22-year-old Raiders rookie quarterback made an appearance on the Bussin’ with the Boyspodcast on Tuesday, Aug. 18 alongside Las Vegas’ starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins. While the group discussed rookie hazing traditions in the NFL, Mendoza said the part he enjoyed the most was when rookies were asked to share their NIL earnings with their teammates.

“The one thing I do kind of enjoy, I think the vets enjoy, is usually when they get up there, they’ve had us tell a couple jokes, and they usually make you say your NIL amount, which is cool because I think some of the vets get to see the NIL world, especially with all the craziness,” Mendoza said.

Cousins, 38, chimed in, “Or wish they were a part of it.”

Fernando Mendoza is pleading the 5th on his NIL amount pic.twitter.com/71ZA6uJmnG

When Mendoza was asked directly about his NIL earnings, the Raiders rookie said, “I plead the fifth,” as a screenshot of an article claiming Mendoza earned $2.6 million from NIL deals appeared.

“You brought up the topic,” the hosts reminded Mendoza, who responded, “But the thing is, I went to Indiana for legit 50% of the price of another school, in reality, 55% of the price.”

When asked what school that would have been, Mendoza declined to answer and joked that the hosts were trying to get “conspiracy theories” out of him.

Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, played in his first preseason game with the Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 13. Las Vegas lost to the Cardinals, 27-14, and Mendoza told reporters afterward he felt he “let my teammates down.” “It’s a growing experience, and I feel like we’re all growing,” Mendoza said. “It showed me that I need to grow a lot.”

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Despite the disappointment in his performance, Mendoza said it felt “great” to be out on the field in a “real game” for the first time. “It’s the real game. There’s no saying what could happen. All you can control is that present moment. I look forward to learning from it,” he said.

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