The raiders would like Kirk Cousins to start the season and have Fernando Mendoza learn by watching the vet operate. But what if Mendoza’s play forces Las Vegas to play the rookie? My report from my weekly Bleacher Report show.
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Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been studying Fernando Mendoza for months in preparation for the 2026 NFL Draft, but now they’re finally getting a chance to see him up close and personal at OTAs. It’s hard to trick coaches and players once you’re playing with them, but so far, Mendoza appears to be checking every box.
According to Bleacher Report’s James Palmer, the rookie quarterback has blown the Raiders away so far.
“Everything I have been told is that Fernando Mendoza has wowed this staff at every turn, and it’s from the work ethic to the focus to being pretty much all ball all the time,” Palmers said.
The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins in free agency with the plan for him to start in 2026. The team seems to favor bringing Mendoza along slowly. However, unfortunately for Cousins, Palmer thinks that Mendoza could still make a push for the Raiders’ starting quarterback job in Week 1.
“It all does point to Kirk Cousins starting Week 1, but how much can Fernando Mendoza make that a debate or make that a question or make that something that the coaching staff is going to ponder to some extent,” Palmer added. “He’s off and running to a really, really good start.”
The raiders would like Kirk Cousins to start the season and have Fernando Mendoza learn by watching the vet operate. But what if Mendoza’s play forces Las Vegas to play the rookie? My report from my weekly Bleacher Report show.
Cousins has said that he’ll understand if Mendoza outplays him and earns the starting quarterback job, but he almost certainly came to the Raiders because he thought he could be a starter. For now, he is the top guy on the depth chart.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, Mendoza has been working with the third team behind Cousins and Aidan O’Connell.
“Kirk Cousins took all of the first-team reps at Las Vegas’ OTAs practice Wednesday, the first session open to the media,” Warren wrote. “Aidan O’Connell followed Cousins, while No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza worked third and mostly with rookies during competitive periods. Each quarterback appeared to get equal snaps during team drills.”
The Raiders want to start Cousins. That’s clear. However, Mendoza is the future at quarterback for the franchise. He’s also younger, bigger and more athletic than Cousins.
Cousins hasn’t been a Pro Bowl-level starter since 2022 and is going to be 38 when the season starts. There is a big learning curve going from college to the NFL, but Mendoza has been working hard to get ready for the season before the Raiders even drafted him.
That said, there is a history of quarterbacks being better off if they don’t have to play early in their rookie season. Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson are just a few examples of quarterbacks who had to wait before starting.
The Raiders want to follow that plan, but it’s going to be difficult. None of the three aforementioned quarterbacks was the No. 1 pick. They were also taking over for long-term starters. Cousins doesn’t have that kind of credibility with the Raiders franchise. If Mendoza is clearly better, he’s going to be the starter for the foreseeable future.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at "The Shop." More about Austin Boyd
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