The Las Vegas Raiders may not be in a hurry to hand the offense to Fernando Mendoza. Head coach Klint Kubiak has declared the starting quarterback job Kirk Cousins' to lose entering the 2026 season. That would make Mendoza the first quarterback drafted No .1 overall not to start Week 1 of his rookie campaign since Baker Mayfield, who made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2018 season.
Mendoza has gotten more first-team reps this week, but Adam Schefter insisted the Raiders aren't changing course. The ESPN insider explained on Thursday's First Take that Mendoza working with the starters serves a dual purpose of testing the newcomer and resting the 38-year-old Cousins. "It also leads us to wonder, when is Fernando Mendoza's time coming?
All I can tell you is that the plan is still to start Kirk Cousins on opening day," Schefter said. "We also know that each of the last six quarterbacks who were selected No. 1 overall started their first game on opening day. The Raiders, I think, are going to buck that trend." Schefter still anticipates Cousins beginning the season under center at Allegiant Stadium, but it may only be a matter of time before Mendoza gets his chance.
"I do think that Kirk Cousins is going to start against the Miami Dolphins, but who knows how (long) that's gonna last," Schefter added. If Kirk Cousins plays well and they're winning, he'll keep being the quarterback. If they lose that home opener against the Dolphins, you can already hear the calls in the stadium for Fernando Mendoza right then and there.
The question is how long Kirk Cousins will be able to stave it off." Mendoza played fairly well in his preseason debut, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Yet Cousins led the starters to a 10-play scoring drive in his only series, connecting on five of six attempts for 50 yards and a touchdown pass to tight end Michael Mayer. ESPN will televise the Raiders' next preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday at 8 p.m.
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