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The Las Vegas Raiders' current preference is not rushing No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza into action right away during his rookie season. But no one should be shocked if he still earns the starting quarterback job going into Week 1.
The Raiders were lauded for landing four-time Pro Bowl QB Kirk Cousins in early April, weeks before they were set to select Mendoza. Cousins (6-foot-3, 209 lbs) is the ideal veteran pocket-passing contingency plan for Mendoza (6-foot-4, 236 lbs). That doesn't mean the Raiders should commit to starting Cousins and sitting Mendoza so quickly in 2026 training camp.
It's been 10 years since a QB selected No. 1 overall didn't start more than half of his team's games as a rookie. Since Jared Goff made only 7 starts for the Rams in 2016, Baker Mayfield (13), Kyler Murray (16), Joe Burrow (10), Trevor Lawrence (17), Bryce Young (16), Caleb Williams (17) and Cam Ward (17) started most or all of their respective teams' games when healthy.
Before Goff, Sam Bradford (16), Matthew Stafford (10), Cam Newton (16), Andrew Luck (16) and Jameis Winston (16) all would also fit that trend. Based on that recent history, the Raiders would be going strong against the grain in keeping Mendoza out of significant action.
Furthermore, there was zero talk of Newton, Burrow and Winston sitting after pulling off the rare elite Heisman Trophy plus national championship feats before Mendoza joined their club. History aside, it would be a mistake in the present for the Raiders not to give every opportunity for Mendoza to win the job over Cousins.
Here's how Mendoza can change the mind of coach Klint Kubiak and other Raiders officials and start come the Sept. 13 season opener at home vs. the Dolphins:
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Kirk Cousins is well removed from the top starter he was with the Vikings
Cousins' biggest asset used to be his strong arm and accurate deep passing, reaching its peak during his six seasons in Minnesota beginning in his early 30s veteran prime. He will turn 38 on August 19 while on his fourth NFL team, less than three years removed from the torn Achilles' that cut short his Twin Cities tenure.
During the past two seasons in Atlanta, the Falcons saw his diminishing returns in terms of downfield effectiveness and overall efficiency. In 14 starts in 2024 before ceding the job to rookie first-rounder Michael Penix Jr., Cousins led the league with 16 interceptions and saw his passer rating dip below 90 (88.6) for the first time as a regular NFL starter. In '25, Cousins saw his completion percentage (61.7) and yards per attempt (6.4) take a major dip.
There's a perception the Raiders would be going "safer" if they play an experienced Cousins over a rookie Mendoza. The bottom line is, Mendoza is the one with more recent play that resembles a top pro-style passer ready to thrive in Kubiak's system.
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Fernando Mendoza won't get anything out of sitting instead of just playing
Mendoza is big and strong with an accurate arm with which he can make all the throws. He is mentally and physically tough with the right dash of athleticism when needed. He's bigger and stronger than Cousins and his maturity and leadership skills are off the charts.
Mendoza holding a clipboard and helping the offensive staff on the sidelines would be a waste of valuable time to prove himself during his rookie contract. He is not some developmental type prospect who needs to learn. Once he starts getting the first-team reps in camp, he will look like he deserves the leading role.
Mendoza's mental makeup and competitive nature say it would be more of a detriment for him not to fuel that fire on the field. The Raiders need to build on Mendoza's confidence instead of messing with it and putting him in an unfamiliar situation on the bench.
Raiders have plenty in their supporting cast to keep Fernando Mendoza from typical rookie lumps
Kubiak was the ideal offensive-minded hire and play-caller to hire away from his work with Sam Darnold and the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks. He is experienced in getting the most out of quarterbacks even when having limited time with them.
But Kubiak also doesn't mind going run-heavy to help his QB as he did with Darnold. To that end, the Raiders have second-year complete running back Ashton Jeanty, their 2025 first-rounder. They also will get a healthy Kolten Miller back at left tackle and got prized free-agent center Tyler Lindebaum to anchor the interior run blocking. The Raiders' wide receiver corps is a makeshift work in progress, but Mendoza still has the ideal elite security blanket in 2024 first-round tight end Brock Bowers.
Between Kubiak, Jeanty, the offensive line and Bowers, the Raiders won't be crumbling around Mendoza. They stay balanced and facilitate his intermediate-to-deep passing. Kubiak's quest for balance will take plenty of pressure off Mendoza. The Seahawks gave up only 27 sacks last season. The Raiders won't be giving up a league-worst 64 again in a superior system. Mendoza will take advantage of that systemic support to execute well early and the Raiders cannot afford to waste that immediate execution.
NFL gave Raiders a schedule tailored to Fernando Mendoza starring early
NFL conspiracy theorists should note that the 2026 regular-season schedule came out a few weeks after Mendoza was drafted. The Miami native playing the low-end Dolphins at his new home in Las Vegas to start his career seems like a homecoming game, fresh off Mendoza leading Indiana to the College Football Playoff championship over ... Miami.
That would set up Mendoza to play well in his debut and get his first win in his first game. Mendoza and the Raiders then get reasonable away games against the Chargers and Saints to think he can continue to play well early. Weeks 4 and 5 get ramped up, but they are marquee for Mendoza vs. Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs (at home) and Drake Maye's Patriots (on the road).
There's no doubt the league wants the Raiders to be relevant and Mendoza is the latest promising young star who would be welcome as a new national face of a franchise. Las Vegas is becoming a key Super Bowl hub, and it doesn't hurt that Tom Brady is behind the scenes rooting for Mendoza to have ultimate success.
Playing Cousins over Mendoza makes those early games a lot less compelling, with no attention required to the Raiders. Everything might point to Cousins starting for most of '26 now, but no one should be surprised if it all flips after a few weeks of Mendoza seeing action in camp and the preseason.
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