It took 10 weeks, but Fernando Mendoza's NFL career is about to begin in earnest.

The No. 1 pick became the Raiders' starting quarterback by default on Tuesday when Las Vegas traded Kirk Cousins to the Vikings, handing the keys to the reigning Heisman Trophy winner with eight games remaining.

What Mendoza can do in those eight games will be worth watching, and expectations are clearly high in the eyes of some.

Here's a look at how Mendoza skyrocketed to Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite before even making his first start.

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Why Fernando Mendoza is sudden OROY favorite

Mendoza became the consensus favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year after Tuesday's Cousins trade, moving to +300 to win the award at a handful of sportsbooks.

That might surprise some fans, as he can only make a maximum of eight starts this season while other offensive players might play more than double the number of games.

Mendoza's status as the favorite speaks to the advantages quarterbacks tend to have in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race. Is eight strong games as a quarterback better than 16 or 17 games as a wide receiver? In 2026, it could be. No rookie wide receiver or tight end is on pace for 1,000 yards, with Cleveland's Denzel Boston leading the way with a 958-yard pace.

There is no viable running back in the race, either. San Francisco's Kaelon Black, who is a change-of-pace back next to Christian McCaffrey, leads the way with a meager 644-yard pace.

Because no other drafted rookie quarterback has even started a game this season, Mendoza could jump to the front of the line rather quickly. Cousins' relative success in Klint Kubiak's system also proved Mendoza could fare well despite a lack of support from the running game or wide receiver corps in Las Vegas.

If it means anything, Mendoza looked fairly comfortable when he saw his first taste of action in a blowout loss to the Patriots earlier this season, going 6-of-8 for 48 yards. That isn't much, but it must be enough to inspire some confidence that he can come from behind and beat out a weak crop of offensive rookies for the hardware.

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