The Las Vegas Raiders have identified their Week 1 starter: Kirk Cousins. First-year coach Klint Kubiak is expected to name the veteran as their starting quarterback to begin the 2026 regular season, according to CBS Sports senior reporter Matt Zenitz. In turn, this decision means that Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will begin his pro career as Cousins' backup.
Cousins, who signed with the Raiders as an offseason free agent, appeared to have the inside track at the Week 1 job all along. With that in mind, this decision, while noteworthy, was somewhat expected. Throughout the offseason, and even before Mendoza was selected first overall, Kubiak, who is entering his first season as head coach after serving as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator last season, had noted that his preferred philosophy for developing a young quarterback would be to have him sit behind an established starter.
Despite that belief, it appeared that Kubiak let the process play out, as evidenced by this decision coming at the conclusion of the preseason rather than earlier. Had Mendoza played well enough to truly push for the starting job, it appeared Kubiak had an open mind about amending his initial plans. However, Mendoza, while showing flashes of the brilliance on display during a national championship run at Indiana last season, also showcased some rookie lumps as he transitioned to the NFL game.
Over the preseason, Mendoza completed 25 of his 45 pass attempts (55.6%) for 240 yards, one passing touchdown and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Cousins went 13-of-17 passing this summer for 101 yards and a touchdown. "I just think he's taking practice to the field," Kubiak said of Cousins following the preseason finale, via the official team website.
"Like you said, he's led scoring drives. We would have loved to lead three touchdown scoring drives. So, we're not satisfied with field goals and that's an area that we need to improve at.
But I see a guy that's leading the offense." Cousins, 38, is entering his 15th season in the NFL. He's started 167 regular-season games over that stretch and is 88-77-2. That includes a 5-3 record in his eight starts last season for the Atlanta Falcons.
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