Gutierrez: Raiders' past meets future as Tom Flores passes No. 15 torch to Fernando Mendoza

The voice on the other end of the phone was strong, and excited.

Tom Flores, the Raiders' Hall of Fame coach and the first quarterback in franchise history, had something to say. Because after hearing Fernando Mendoza's claim that he wasn't sure if he had "earned" the right to wear his jersey No. 15 with the Raiders, the same digits Flores wore in the early days of the AFL, Flores cleared his throat.

Yes, the 89-year-old Flores told me, Mendoza had his blessing.

"He deserves my blessing," Flores said. "Because if he's not the real deal, I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

Flores laughed a deep-belly laugh.

"He's perfect," he continued. "He can make every throw. He can make the plays. What can't he do? He does it all. He's fun to watch.

"Plus, he's a good-looking kid. Like me."

Another deep-belly laugh ensued.

But Mendoza, on his tour of Raiders HQ a day after being drafted with the No. 1 overall selection, was not joking. He was serious about how much he honored and respected the Raiders tradition.

Deeply serious.

But when I told him of Flores' words, a slight smile crossed his face.

"He's more handsome than me," Mendoza deadpanned. "But, it speaks to the testament of once a Raider, always a Raider. Of how involved the alumni is. And I'm so blessed to be a part of this organization. I can't thank [Flores] enough. I'm so blessed.

"I had a good college career; I haven't done anything in the NFL. So for him as an NFL legend, a Raider legend, for him to give me permission to wear the number 15 and represent Raider Nation, the Silver and Black and him, all in one, it's an eternal blessing. Every single day I'm going to have a commitment to excellence to make sure than I can live up to that standard."

Now, the Raiders do not retire numbers. Never have and, most likely, never will.

And plenty of players have worn No. 15 since Flores last rocked it in Oakland in 1966.

Among them: quarterbacks Mike Rae (1976-77), Jeff Hostetler (1993-96), Matt Flynn (2013), Gardner Minshew (2024) and Kenny Pickett (2025). Plus, receivers Johnnie Lee Higgins (2007-10), Michael Crabtree (2015-17) and Nelson Agholor (2020).

Another historical nugget?

When Mendoza takes the field for a regular season game, he will become the 11th Heisman Trophy winner to play for the Raiders.

A bit of trivia that none of the Raiders' three Heisman winners to welcome Mendoza to Las Vegas on Friday - quarterback Jim Plunkett, running back Marcus Allen and receiver Tim Brown - could fully complete.

The answer: Plunkett, Allen, Brown, fullback/tight end Billy Cannon, running back Bo Jackson, defensive back Charles Woodson, receiver Desmond Howard and quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Marcus Mariota.

But it was Mendoza's shared cultural connection as a Latino to not only Flores but Plunkett that had him thinking deeper. Even as Mendoza is Cuban American and Flores and Plunkett are Mexican Americans.

As Plunkett said, it's been 55 years since a Latino was taken first in the NFL Draft (Plunkett was that pick, by the Patriots, in 1971) and he hoped it wouldn't take another 55 years.

"It's important to the Hispanic community," Plunkett told me. "I'm very proud of Fernando and, you know, Tom Flores was my coach for a while. So I'd like to see more and more Hispanics. In the past, Hispanics, we didn't grow very tall, so it was tough for a Hispanic quarterback to make it in the NFL.

"But now we're getting bigger and stronger and getting into the sport more. A long time ago, a lot of my friends growing up were playing soccer, not football. But things have changed, obviously. Look at Fernando."

And when Raider Nation gets a look at Mendoza, he'll be wearing a familiar, if not sacred, number.

"It's a privilege to have him wear my number," Flores said. "I'd like to see him practice."