Raiders' Plan for Fernando Mendoza Has Several Layers

Mendoza's Rise

The Raiders signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins shortly before drafting Mendoza. Cousins is a proven starter who can step in right away, giving Mendoza more time to develop. Las Vegas' front office was transparent about wanting to add a veteran quarterback. Cousins checks that box.

Las Vegas' plans for Mendoza stretch from the coaching staff hires Klint Kubiak made, to the addition of Cousins. The Raiders' front office plan stems from the front office, through Kubiak and Cousins, and through to Mendoza. All of the moves the Raiders made this offseason connect.

"We just spent so much time together in the room. I'm going to get to know Aidan [O'Connell] so well here over the next few weeks. I've always leaned so heavily on the other guys in the room, the other quarterbacks almost become like another coach,” Cousins said. 

“I'll come off to the sideline when Klint [Kubiak] was my quarterback coach, and he'll say something to me, Sean Mannion was the other quarterback with us. Klint would talk, then I'd look at Sean and say, 'Great, what do you think, Sean?' I wanted to get his opinion too.

"So, we're always kind of a working force in that room together, trying to help each other all pull in the same direction. And time in meetings, time at walk-throughs, time preparing for games, warmups, locker room, pregame. There's just so much that you're kind of always together and supporting one another and my best years have always been when the quarterback room is really strong."

The Raiders have started seven different quarterbacks in the past three seasons alone. Cousins will mark what they hope will be the last quarterback to start for them with a last name other than Mendoza. Still, Cousins knows it will be critical for him, Mendoza, and O'Connell to work together.

The Right Way

There is not necessarily a right or wrong way to handle a rookie quarterback. However, a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall comes with more expectations than any other position. This is especially true considering how bad the Raiders' quarterback situation has been recently.

The Raiders cannot afford to risk Mendoza's future by unnecessarily putting him on the field in his rookie season with a new team, essentially. Kubiak will have a lot to learn on the fly, and doing so with Cousins, a quarterback he has worked with, should help things get started smoothly.

Las Vegas has a multifaceted plan for Mendoza. It is a plan they hope will spark a franchise-changing turnaround. They have made coaching and roster staff additions with Mendoza's future in mind, confirming just how critical it is that they take as much time as possible with the rookie.

Time will tell just how well that plan works out. Yet, it must be acknowledged that the Raiders, for the first time in a while, appear to be a team and an organization with a plan. That, in itself, has not always been the case for the Silver and Black.