Week 1 of the NFL season is still over a month away, and yet, the Las Vegas Raiders may already have an issue on their hands.
Before the Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, they signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a contract that includes $20 million in guaranteed money for the 2026 season. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders want Cousins to be their starting quarterback for the whole year so Mendoza can develop behind the scenes.
"The way they're hoping for it to all be, is for Kirk Cousins to be the starter at the beginning of the season, throughout the season, and the end of the season," Rapoport said.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak has also stressed the importance of letting a young quarterback develop.
“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from day one,” Kubiak said, via Fox Sports. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from day one and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Could the Raiders have a QB issue on their hands?
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes the Raiders will have no choice but to start Mendoza as soon as possible, especially if he's playing well in practice. If not, the coaching staff may have to answer difficult questions from their veteran players.
"When you're out on the practice field, if Mendoza is clearly better than Kirk Cousins...and you've got some grand strategic plan that you're going to let him sit for a year, what's Maxx Crosby going to say about that? What's Brock Bowers going to say about that? What's any veteran player going to say?" Florio said. "We’ve a guy who we can all tell at every practice is better than Kirk Cousins as of right now, but you’ve got this plan that you’re going to groom Fernando Mendoza by having him not play, by deliberately choosing the lesser guy to be the quarterback. Good luck with that one, Klint Kubiak."
Mendoza currently looked like a franchise quarterback last season for Indiana, completing 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. We'd have to imagine Raiders fans want to see him start all 17 games this fall.
The Raiders will begin their 2026 season on Sept. 13 against the Miami Dolphins.
