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By Megan Armstrong
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The Los Angeles Chargers are the Kings of the NFL Schedule Release Video until further notice, but the Las Vegas Raiders had a strong offering this year.
Last month, the Raiders unveiled their 2026 schedule by having veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the 2026 No. 1 overall pick, co-star in a "Step Brothers" spoof. The video began with Cousins telling Mendoza that he's "gonna have to call me Kirko Chainz," and Mendoza responding, "Cool. You're gonna have to call me The Nandolorian."
"The Nandolorian" caught on, and Mendoza has reportedly filed to trademark application for "Nandolorian," per trademark attorney Josh Gerben.
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"The application, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on June 8th, seeks to protect the name as a brand of clothing," Gerben wrote, adding, "While the videos and jokes may be harmless fun, the trademark filing could present an interesting legal dilemma. Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of Disney and owner of 16 Mandalorian-centric trademarks, has spent years building and protecting trademark rights in the name associated with the hit 'Star Wars' franchise."
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At the Raiders' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Mendoza told reporters of his plans to see "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" this weekend. Aside from that, he's all ball while trying to win the starting job over Cousins.
"I think there's always a transition, especially from the college level to the NFL level, and it's having those positive stressors and that growing period," Mendoza said. "There's gonna be some growing pains. Luckily, I feel confident that I'm able to see the field well and that my growing pains are coming from, hey, I gotta time up my footwork my little better with the routes, and intricacies here and there."
Mendoza added, "I feel like I've been growing every day. From the first day of OTAs to today [at] minicamp, I feel like I'm leaps and bounds from where I was."
Mendoza became a breakout star at Indiana last year. He led the Hoosiers to an unprecedented 16-0 season en route to winning the program's first-ever national title and the Heisman Trophy. Now, he will be tasked with helping the Raiders win their first playoff game since January 2003.
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