Jon Gruden gives Fernando Mendoza a pep talk

Gruden was asked what he'd say to the rookie if he were in the Raiders' locker room this week. Chucky did not need long to think about it.

Jon Gruden

@BarstoolGruden

It’s MENDOZA TIME in Las Vegas! @DKSports #DKPartner

Here's the pitch, more or less. You're our guy. The building believes in you, all the way up to Tom Brady. Embrace the pressure, then go kick the champs' ass on Las Vegas Boulevard. It's a DraftKings-sponsored segment, so the #DKPartner tag is doing some of the work, but the delivery is pure Gruden. If you put this in front of a 22-year-old the night before his first start, he's walking through drywall.

The stakes are real, too. The Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to Minnesota this week, even though Cousins had 20 touchdown passes, 2nd-most in the league, while keeping the seat warm. That hands the job to Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, who won the Heisman and a national championship at Indiana. Las Vegas is 4-5 and has lost 5 of its last 6, including a 38-17 beatdown by San Francisco last week. This is the reset button.

The welcome-to-the-NFL draw is rough. Seattle comes to Allegiant Stadium as the defending Super Bowl champion, and at 5-4 it still has the league's No. 1 defense, allowing just 244.2 total yards per game. Pete Carroll's old club gets a rookie making his first start, so if there was ever a week for Gruden's Chucky act, this is it.

None of this is out of character. Gruden has been banging the Mendoza drum on the show for weeks, saying the Raiders would eventually have to give him the ball. He also suggested teams could take Cousins off Las Vegas' hands for a 2nd-round pick. Turns out Minnesota was listening. The pep talk came out of a bigger midseason awards episode, too.

Jon Gruden

@BarstoolGruden

The Gruden Mid Season Awards | Gruden Family Football Show Week 10 t.co/zJx8EtcPxg

If you think the on-camera version is loud, the Fore Play guys have a story for you. Recapping the Internet Invitational, Kevin Kisner remembered Dave catching Gruden at sunrise, screaming what sounded like a cameo video as if he were coaching in the Super Bowl.

Fore Play Podcast

@ForePlayPodcast

“Coach Gruden's bedroom door is barely open and he is just shouting at the top of his lungs.” – Kevin Kisner

0:46

So Mendoza is getting the indoor-voice version. The real speech gets delivered Sunday in Vegas, and it's on him. If it goes well, Gruden will want credit. If it doesn't, the Raiders still have Denver on the road next week, and Gruden will have another episode to fire the kid back up.