Fernando Mendoza partnership to bring financial education to NFL players

Posted by Admin April 7, 2026 NFL

Fernando Mendoza is expected to be formally introduced as the No. 1 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, but he already picked up a different title in the run-up to the 2026 NFL draft:

“Chief Financial Playmaker.”

As part of U.S. Bank’s new multi-year partnership – which makes U.S. Bank a new official bank and wealth partner of the league – announced Tuesday, Mendoza will contribute to the “Financial Edge” program that helps athletes navigate money aspects of a professional football career. U.S. Bank will also now be a presenting sponsor the Super Bowl MVP award.

Mendoza, who graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and pursued an MBA from Indiana University, said he’s still figuring out exactly what a “chief financial playmaker” does. Improving financial literacy among his new colleagues matters to him, though.

“As a ‘playmaker,’ it’s about educating (the players), but it’s also about learning,” Mendoza told USA TODAY Sports. “I have a lot to learn.”

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NFL mock draft: Top-10 surprises in latest first-round projection

1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

2. New York Jets – Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio State

3. Arizona Cardinals – David Bailey, OLB/DE, Texas Tech

4. Tennessee Titans – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

5. New York Giants – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

6. Cleveland Browns – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

7. Washington Commanders – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

8. New Orleans Saints – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

9. Kansas City Chiefs – Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami (Fla.)

10. Cincinnati Bengals – Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

11. Miami Dolphins – Francis Mauigoa, OT/G, Miami (Fla.)

12. Dallas Cowboys – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – Makai Lemon, WR, USC

14. Baltimore Ravens – Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami (Fla.)

16. Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

17. Detroit Lions – Spencer Fano, OT/G, Utah

18. Minnesota Vikings – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

19. Carolina Panthers – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

20. Dallas Cowboys – CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Kadyn Proctor, OT/G, Alabama

22. Los Angeles Chargers – T.J. Parker, DE/OLB, Clemson

23. Philadelphia Eagles – Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn

24. Cleveland Browns – Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

25. Chicago Bears – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

26. Buffalo Bills – Cashius Howell, OLB, Texas A&M

27. San Francisco 49ers – Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

28. Houston Texans – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Los Angeles Rams) – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

30. Miami Dolphins (from Denver Broncos) – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

31. New England Patriots – Zion Young, DE/OLB, Missouri

32. Seattle Seahawks – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

First, Mendoza said, he wants to figure out “intricacies” that a NFL player experiences with his finances – how contracts are structured and the investment (short-term or long-term) preferences of the players. He wants to combine all of that into one playbook, which will be part of the NFL’s broader financial empowerment pilot.

Mendoza – like all Golden Bears athletes at Cal – took Steve Etter’s financial literacy course as a freshman before later transferring to Indiana and winning a national championship. Etter said Mendoza’s personality and passion for finance make him well-suited for the role.

“He’s charismatic. He’s a leader. He’s a visionary,” Etter told USA TODAY Sports. “And I think that he connects well with all spectrums in the locker room. I think that is what will allow him to do it.”

Name, image and likeness (NIL) dealings exposed Mendoza to the business side of sports during college.

“It’s really getting ahead of those retirement accounts. It’s being safe and smart with that money because you realize, ‘Hey, that NIL money isn’t going to last forever,’” the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner said.

College careers last only five seasons – in most instances, Mendoza added – and athletes are making “real money” for one or two of those years, Mendoza said.

“It’s been such an upper-echelon step that I’ve been able to take,” he said of business educational background. “However, I know that I still have a lot to learn, still have a lot to grow. I’m really excited for that next step.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fernando Mendoza to share business education with NFL players through partnership