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Time is of the essence when making sure a rookie quarterback shines. This is exactly the virtue the Las Vegas Raiders are following to develop Fernando Mendoza. The former Indiana Hoosiers star got drafted first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft and is expected to grow rapidly as their offensive anchor of the future. But there is still uncertainty about whether he starts in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Why is that the case?
He has to beat out Kirk Cousins and get the approval of the Raiders' coaching staff to clinch the QB1 spot.
Mendoza confident in beating Cousins to become Raiders QB1
Since the start of the decade, most first-round quarterbacks have gotten to start in Week 1. Cam Ward, who ended up being the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, is the most recent example after the Tennessee Titans handed him their keys. It looks like Fernando Mendoza might not end up on this list. The Raiders have strongly pushed for the idea that he plays behind Kirk Cousins to develop more effectively.
— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026Despite these floating reports that Cousins will be starting in Week 1, Mendoza remains unrelenting. The Raiders' first overall pick and former Indiana Hoosiers star showcased a great deal of confidence when he talked about beating out Cousins along with the other names in their depth chart for the QB1 spot, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com.
"Everybody in the quarterback room is a top-tier quarterback, and it's going to be competing with each other, not competing against each other. Competing with each other is pushing each other to be the best quarterback we can possibly be for the Las Vegas Raiders, and to enable us to then win as many games as possible... It's basically all in the palm of my hand, and I need to take advantage of it," the Raiders rookie quarterback declared.
Mendoza has a name that will not just fade into obscurity. During Indiana's College Football Playoff National Championship run, he had insane numbers that might scare Cousins and the rest of the Raiders' quarterbacks. He threw 379 passes with a 72% completion percentage to gain 3,535 passing yards for Indiana. To top it all off, Mendoza led the Big Ten Conference and FBS with his 41 passing touchdowns. When all of these numbers are crunched, he recorded a passing efficiency rating of 182.9.
Raiders' Kubiak firm on starting Cousins over Mendoza
Obviously, Cousins has experience on his side. The Raiders will have to rely on him when Mendoza gets fatigued or if rookie jitters hit. They also have to consider that the 14-year veteran just inked a deal that could be worth $172 million over the next five years. The looming choice to not start Cousins could mean a lot of sunk cost for the Raiders, despite only giving him a fully guaranteed $20 million in one year.
Coach Klint Kubiak already made it clear that Mendoza will ideally play behind Cousins before the 2026 NFL Draft.
"Ideally, you don't want him to start day one. You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That's in a perfect world. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from day one, and it's our job as a coach to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player, though, if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show," Kubiak said.
The Raiders head coach even used Aaron Rodgers as an example for his rationale. Notably, the Green Bay Packers legend got benched for three years behind Brett Favre before becoming a Hall of Fame talent.
Mendoza clearly has his own path to tread, he was never one to follow in the footsteps of other people anyway. The Raiders will need to get used to that fact when he does beat out Cousins, Aidan O'Connell, and Jacob Clark for that Week 1 start. With Tom Brady, one of the most gloriously stubborn players when it came to letting the fates decide Super Bowl outcomes, serving as a mentor, there is an abundant flame that will fuel this rookie run.
After all, the Hoosiers would never have brought a national championship to Bloomington if Mendoza faltered in being unrelenting in his defiance of destiny.
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