Raiders Announce Fernando Mendoza Decision After Kirk Cousins Update

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders Announce Fernando Mendoza Decision After Kirk Cousins Update

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 2, 2026 12:50 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a new era this upcoming NFL season. Klint Kubiak has officially taken over for Pete Carroll as head coach after the Raiders won just three games last season, and the coaching staff has been revamped around him.

Las Vegas earned the first overall pick and selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Mendoza was the consensus top prospect in the draft after an excellent season with Indiana where he took home the Heisman Trophy and won the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Across 16 games, Mendoza led all of college football with 41 passing touchdowns, completing 273 passes on 379 attempts for 3,535 yards.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

However, Mendoza will not immediately be able to showcase his talent at the NFL level. The Raiders decided this past offseason to sign veteran Kirk Cousins to a one-year, $20 million guaranteed deal including a club option for two more seasons, bringing him in after his fallout with the Atlanta Falcons as a bridge option.

Cousins missed practice on Wednesday, which was a surprise given he has been in a competition and was expected to be the team’s starting quarterback.

However, Kubiak revealed it was simply a scheduled day off for the veteran, according to Brandy Flores of Las Vegas Sports Network.

Shortly after, the team officially announced that Cousins would be the starting quarterback for Week 1 with Mendoza beginning the season as his backup.

Klint Kubiak just named Kirk Cousins the starting quarterback. He did not practice by design as a veteran off day today #Raiders https://t.co/LDzObUzLuF
— Brandy Flores (@_brandyflores) September 2, 2026

Given the state of the Raiders offense and the number of developing pieces around him, throwing Mendoza into the fire for Week 1 was not something Las Vegas wanted to do. He will now get a chance to learn from Cousins before getting his opportunity.

It is unclear how long of a leash Cousins has given his disastrous final season in Atlanta, but for now Mendoza will continue developing until his moment arrives.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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