Fernando Mendoza makes unexpected draft decision after dropping major clue on NFL retirement plan

Fernando Mendoza’s NFL career is about to start, but the projected No. 1 draft pick already appears to have a retirement plan in place.

The young quarterback, who won the Heisman Trophy en-route to an undefeated college football season with the Indiana Hoosiers, is widely expected to land with the Las Vegas Raiders.

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After winning just three games in 2025, the Sin City franchise holds the top draft pick, and it will be a real shock if Mendoza’s name isn’t called first — and he’s even been learning Klint Kubiak’s playbook.

Fernando Mendoza makes unexpected draft decision

But while he’s a lock for the top pick, the Indiana star won’t be on stage at the draft in Pittsburgh on April 23.

Instead, he will be at home, sharing that special moment with his family.

“Projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza has informed the NFL that he is not planning to attend the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh this month, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted Tuesday on X.

“Mendoza wants to share the draft experience with his family in Miami.”

His decision is quite unexpected, as the last time a No. 1 overall pick QB did not attend the NFL Draft was in 2021, when the Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence.

It shouldn’t, though, have any impact on his stock for the big night.

Once the draft dust settles, Mendoza will no doubt have dreams of turning a struggling Raiders team around, one day winning the Super Bowl and making millions across what’s expected to be a lucrative career.

But it’s never too early to have a backup, or post-NFL plan.

He’s regarded as one of the smartest players in the draft, both on and off the field — and wouldn’t have led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season if he wasn’t a ‘football nerd’ who loves to study and learn about the game.

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Meanwhile, his 4.7 GPA went viral back in January, as did his LinkedIn profile — and out of high school, Mendoza initially committed to Yale to study economics, before deciding to flip to the University of California, Berkeley, instead.

Fernando Mendoza teases post-NFL retirement plan

There, he studied at the Haas School of Business, and used his name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings to pay for his final classes and graduate in three years.

Ahead of the draft, Mendoza has been reflecting on his decision to flip from Yale to Cal, and noted he could have easily ended up with a career in finance instead of football.

USA Today reports that he could have started on Wall Street as an analyst, rather than under center in the NFL.

“First of all, I think it would have been a very cool experience, to be around people who are a lot smarter than me and make friends with those people, just like (I did) at Berkeley,” Mendoza told USA Today Sports, of the idea he could have ended up at Yale.

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He sees ‘a lot of value’ in financial careers, because they help people ‘provide’ for their families, and can also change many lives.

“Who knows, maybe in the future, after football, there can be a career with that,” he added, teasing a retirement plan.

Mendoza has a partnership with U.S. Bank and its Financial Edge program, and spoke to USA Today as part of that work.

The program provides financial guidance for players in the league, and will help them understand cash flow, saving strategies, long-term wealth and entrepreneurship.

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All of those elements are crucial to NFL stars, and for their lives after football.

Fernando Mendoza has ‘best of both worlds’ with U.S. Bank partnership

U.S. Bank on Tuesday announced a multiyear partnership that makes it the official bank and wealth management sponsor of the NFL, and has enlisted Mendoza as its ‘Chief Financial Playmaker.’

While his pro-football career is only just beginning, the 22-year-old has now been able to dip a toe into the financial space.

Speaking to USA Today, he noted that ‘helping people maximize financial growth’ is important, and that he has the ‘best of both worlds’ with his new role.

“My mindset is that if I can invest in the market and invest in myself… whatever that (return) may be, not only in the market, but also in my growth and development, I think that’s the best investment I can make,” Mendoza concluded.

Plenty of others will be investing in the Hoosiers QB this year — many of them in Vegas.

Mendoza looks set for a lucrative NFL career, and already clearly has the mindset to grow far beyond the field.

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