Kirk Cousins is QB1, but the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t closed the door on Fernando Mendoza taking over in 2026.
Captain Kirk, it is.
One of the NFL’s worst-kept secrets became official this past Wednesday when the Las Vegas Raiders announced Kirk Cousins as the team’s starting quarterback.
New head coach Klint Kubiak played coy, declining to name a starter until midweek. Still, the 38-year-old veteran was always destined to be QB1. All anyone had to do was listen to Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wax poetic about his belief that rookie quarterbacks shouldn’t be thrown immediately into the NFL fire and should instead be given the chance to sit, learn and develop behind a veteran signal caller.
“We lean on him for a lot of things,” Kubiak said during his Wednesday media availability, referring to the seven-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Fame quarterback. “Talk to him multiple times a week, and he’s been extremely helpful for roster building, for schematics, and for team building. You name it, he’s been helpful with it. More than helpful and an extremely impressive resource.”
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The Learning Tree
This isn’t merely a rip of Chris Jericho’s prior AEW gimmick.
Cousins heads into his 15th season in the NFL after entering the league as a fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the then-Washington Redskins. He is undoubtedly a resource for fellow quarterbacks Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell, alongside Kubiak and his coaching staff.
Win-loss record (88-77-2, for those curious) and statistics aside, Cousins’ ingrained familiarity with Kubiak, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and offensive line coach Rick Dennison’s unified philosophy is an advantage neither of the other two quarterbacks on the Raiders’ roster has. The trio of coaches has evolved since the last time they were with Cousins back in his Minnesota Vikings days, between the 2019 and 2021 seasons. That’s only a good thing. Being rigid and unable to grow is both a player’s and a coach’s worst enemy.
Sit and Learn
That means Mendoza, the 22-year-old No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, will get to observe and learn from Cousins’ on-field, sideline and locker room behavior, demeanor and production. The decision also snaps a streak among quarterbacks taken with the first overall selection in the draft. The last top pick to sit was Baker Mayfield back in 2018, when the Cleveland Browns took the Oklahoma signal caller and rolled with Tyrod Taylor for the first three games before Mayfield got the start in Week 4.
Naturally, Kubiak was asked about quarterback development, namely the “proof of concept” of not throwing rookie quarterbacks to the wolves, especially for a team like the Raiders that is rebuilding.
“I think there’s so many examples both ways,” Kubiak said. “I think the most important thing with the quarterback room or any other position is to build competition within the room, and that makes players so much better, faster than coaching. When they have a guy in front of them that they can look up to and they can see how something’s done, that’s going to accelerate their growth.”
What did Spytek have to say?
General manager John Spytek expressed similar sentiments the day before Kubiak stepped up to the podium to answer media questions.
“Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels. Like you said, there’s success stories and failures in both ways,” Spytek said. “We’re just trying to build the best team we can and play the guys that are most ready to play, and have a constant competition in every room, not just the quarterback room, but every room. The expectation always will be that the best person, the person that’s earned it, the person that can do their job for the team, will be the one that plays.”
And don’t get it twisted, folks. Seeing how something is done isn’t purely about noting the right moves but also the wrong ones. Mistakes are part of life and sports, and watching someone go through that trial and tribulation is a perfect way to learn how to avoid the same miscues. Mendoza will make plenty, without question.
But being able to watch Cousins go through all the highs and lows of being an NFL quarterback is invaluable.
Maintain the Flame
But here’s the real kicker: Kubiak is letting Mendoza make mistakes and backing his young quarterback when they happen.
We’ve already seen it. Take the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers, when Mendoza fired a laser to wide receiver Jalen Nailor. The play drew a mixed cross-section of opinions. Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon noted on the Fox broadcast that it wasn’t a throw Mendoza should have made, while others argued the pass hit both of Nailor’s hands and should have been caught.
The following day, Kubiak backed Mendoza. “I thought it was an excellent throw. He ripped it just like we asked him to, on time. Yeah, it was a little bit high. Jalen’s got to make the play,” Kubiak said.
That kind of support matters. It’s difficult to both instill and find that mentality in a quarterback, and the Raiders know that firsthand. Silver and Black signal callers have too often shown hesitancy, playing it safe rather than letting it rip. Mendoza’s aggressiveness should be harnessed and protected, not discouraged. Playing tentatively at quarterback is a death knell, and for a Raiders team desperate for a renaissance, Mendoza’s belief that he can make the throw, paired with the velocity to back it up, is a tremendous positive.
He has the belief. Now it’s up to Kubiak and his coaching staff to keep that alive, calculate the risks and put Mendoza in the best possible position to succeed.
Nando’s Gonna Start
Tom Brady and the Raiders intend for Cousins to start throughout 2026. Still, circumstances may force Mendoza under center this season.
My prediction had been that it would happen after the bye. That break falls much later in the season, following Week 12 at the end of November or the start of December, when Las Vegas hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 13.
That was before the Los Angeles Rams officially announced the return of defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Rams face the Raiders in Week 7 inside Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 25. Dennison has done a tremendous job getting the Raiders’ offensive line performing vastly differently from the 2025 version. But that’s a pass rush featuring Donald, Myles Garrett, Kobie Turner and Byron Young. That’s a lot to handle.
If Cousins gets overwhelmed and injured, that could open the door for another quarterback to take over, whether it’s Mendoza or O’Connell. Cousins is durable, but he’s also 38 years old and a slender 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds. That presents a contrast to Mendoza, who is much bulkier at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds and just 22 years old (23 on Oct. 1).
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images