Mendoza Hits The NFL Marketing Turf Running With Linkedin, Pfizer, Topps
Friday, April 24, 2026 at 07:50PM By Barry Janoff
April 24, 2026: Fernando Mendoza is showing up in the NFL as the overall No. 1 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, a list of expectations and a treasure trove of marketing partners.
Soon after being selected by the Raiders, he conducted several on-air interviews — one of which turned out to be a commercial for Linkedin.
In “The Network That Works For You | Fernando Mendoza | One Sec, Making It Official,” a reporter asks Mendoza how it feels to have “just got the call” as the No. 1 pick.
“It is such a blessing.” Mendoza replies, “and, oop . . . sorry. One second." He then pulls out his cell phone. “I need to post on LinkedIn.'
Mendoza then types, ”It’s official. Grateful for the opportunity and ready to get to work.”
He then says, “Boom, posted. Now it's official.”
Linkedin said the alliance with Mendoza was organic.
“The partnership is rooted in Mendoza’s existing LinkedIn presence on LinkedIn, where he documents his journey and builds his professional identity,” the company posted to its Web site.
“The spot builds on familiar LinkedIn behavior – updating your profile, sharing progress and building your network The campaign reinforces LinkedIn’s as the place where career updates are shared as they happen.”
Earlier in the week, Linkedin posted a spot with Mendoza and Guillermo Rodriguez, who is the on-air comedic wingman on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show previously had worked as a parking lot security guard in the parking lost where the show is filmed.
In “Fernando Mendoza Helps Guillermo Rodriguez Grow His Career,” Rodriguez is seen working as a security guard dreaming of a better future. Mendoza appears as Captain Super Connection Bro.
“Sounds like you need a new game plan,” Mendoza says to Rodriguez. “You need to connect on Linkedin, update your profile, get career advice and make connections with others”
“Fernando has been intentional about his presence on LinkedIn from the start – sharing his journey, building his brand, and connecting with his community,” Heather Freeland, Linkedin chief brand officer, said via the company.
“With this series of spots, we wanted to show that LinkedIn is about those big professional moments — like getting a new job — but it’s also where careers take shape over time. And Fernando is the perfect person to demonstrate that as his own career as a professional quarterback takes off."
The alliance was not the first for Mendoza related to the NFL Draft.
Earlier this month, the NFL signed a multi-year alliance naming U.S. Bank as a new “official bank and wealth management sponsor” of the league.
As part of the partnership, U.S. Bank aligned with Mendoza, who earned a business administration degree at Indiana and will serve as U.S. Bank Chief Financial Playmaker.
U.S. Bank said Mendoza would “provide insight on the bank’s financial education programming, bring firsthand perspectives from his journey navigating NIL contracts to signing his first potential NFL contract, ensuring Financial Edge is tailored to meet the unique needs of professional athletes.”
Rather than attending the Draft in-person in Pittsburgh, he stayed with his family in Coral Gables, Fla. mainly due to the fact that his mother,, Elsa, has multiple sclerosis, which makes it difficult for her to travel.
Before the draft, he and his brother Alberto launched The Mendoza Family Fund, a "national initiative partnering with the National MS Society to accelerate progress toward a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Fernando Mendoza pledged $500,000 to the initiative on Draft Day “to support MS research at the University of Miami Health System and Miller School of Medicine, according to the National MS Society.
That has made him very aware of health care and led to an alliance with drug company Pfizer, "Every Inch Matters" (part of the company’s broader "Every Breakthrough Matters" effort) which “highlights that early cancer detection is critical, fighting the disease "inch by inch".
"In football, I know every inch matters," Mendoza posted to social media. "The same is true for the fight against cancer. I’m proud to partner with Pfizer to remind everyone that early detection makes all the difference. Talk to your doctor and schedule your cancer screenings at PfizerForAll.com/Screenings.”
Pfizer said the campaign “reinforces the U.S. drugmaker’s broader push to encourage more people to sign up for screenings that can detect cancers earlier, when they are often more treatable.
Pfizer said it markets several cancer products, including Ibrance for breast cancer, Xtandi for prostate cancer and Inlyta for kidney cancer.
As part of its the new NFL alliance with Fanatics brand Topps, Mendoza was among several players selected at the Draft to receive their own Topps NOW card documenting their first official NFL trading cards, with Mendoza seen wearing a Raiders cap, signing his, inscribing, “My fat NFL Auto.
He also has dalliances that have included adidas, Dr Pepper, Keurig and Epic Games, which date back to NIL deals he signed while in college.
U.S. Bank Joins As NFL Partner, Brings In Mendoza As ‘Chief Financial Playmaker’
NFL Plans To Steel The Show In Pittsburgh With 2026 Draft Activation
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