Raiders finally name Week 1 starter between Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza

The Las Vegas Raiders signed Kirk Cousins to a free-agent contract this offseason and also drafted Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

After the preseason came and went, the Raiders had yet to officially name their starting quarterback to begin the 2026 NFL season. But with a week to go before the NFL kicks off the 2026 season on Wednesday, the Raiders have revealed their choice.

Ryan McFadden of ESPN shared that head coach Klint Kubiak made the expected decision, naming Cousins as the Week 1 starter for the Raiders.

Raiders officially name Kirk Cousins as Week 1 starting QB

"Raiders HC Klint Kubiak has named Kirk Cousins the starting QB for Week 1," McFadden reported from Raiders' practice.

This should come as little surprise, as the Raiders' plan has always seemed to be to keep Mendoza on the bench for much of the 2026 season to give him time to learn the NFL system before getting his first opportunity.

Tom Brady experienced the same during his career, and so did Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, and Patrick Mahomes.

While being the No. 1 overall pick and waiting to start might not be something every team would be willing to do, giving Mendoza time to acclimate to the NFL before his actual NFL debut isn't a bad thing.

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Cousins will start Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, and with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots on tap after that, Mendoza might not see the field until later in the year.

In Week 6, the Raiders face the Buffalo Bills, and in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. Those are tough matchups, and while Mendoza might end up being the starter by then, the Raiders could also wait a while to name him the starter.

If they were to wait until after their Week 13 bye week, the Raiders could have Mendoza face the Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Tennessee Titans at home before ending the year on the road against the Arizona Cardinals and Chiefs.

But while fans eagerly await to see Mendoza finally make his NFL debut, they're going to watch Cousins lead this offense to begin the season.

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