Update on Raiders’ Starting Quarterback Conversation

• "I would say this, not much shocks me in this league," Pelissero said. "I would be very surprised if Fernando Mendoza starts out the gate. Klint Kubiak said this way back in the spring that he believes in allowing a young quarterback to sit. There's a big transition in terms of coming from that Indiana offense, very much RPO-based, and you're throwing into wide-open windows. It's not under center. There's a bunch of things that he needs to get better at, and you brought in Kirk Cousins, who's got a history with Klint Kubiak."

• "Now, the moment that Fernando Mendoza goes out there, and if he plays well in a preseason game, we'll all be talking about it," Pelissero continued. "Klint Kubiak's going to get questions. Klint's not on social media. He's not watching this show. He's not watching ESPN. He's not seeing the various debates. He is going to be very much of that same [mindset]. Again, stranger things have happened here, but from everything I understand - the conviction, the way they are built right now - is that Kirk Cousins is going to be the starter at the beginning of the season and entirely possible at the end of the season as well."

• "That's as much a reflection of where the Raiders are programmatically as anything to do with Fernando Mendoza," Pelissero elaborated. "They don't really have the infrastructure. They've got some things that they've got to figure out."

Overall Takeaways

It's been the status quo since the beginning of the offseason, as the coaching staff and front office have prioritized slowly bringing Mendoza along, with Cousins leading the team for the majority of this upcoming season.

While people have voiced their disagreement with the process, the Raiders will stick to their plan and allow Mendoza ample time to familiarize himself with Kubiak's offense, learn how to prepare, refine areas that need improvement, and gain comfort with what it takes to be a franchise quarterback.

Impatience is what has derailed quarterbacks in recent memory who have been selected with high draft capital. Unlike several of those situations, this coaching staff is not entering this season on the hot seat or anything close to that.

That is why pairing a head coach with a young quarterback on the same timeline is monumental for that situation to work out in the long run. Pelissero states that Cousins could be the starting quarterback for the entire season, but it would be interesting if Las Vegas flames out by the trade deadline, and the front office moves multiple veteran players, waving the white flag for the 2026 season.

Would that alter Kubiak's train of thought? Would the first-year head coach feel inclined to allow Mendoza to have some runway heading into the 2027 season? Those are just a couple of questions about this situation, and while the current plan is to keep Mendoza on the bench for the majority of the season, we simply don't know what is in store for this season.

Cousins could also struggle, forcing Kubiak's hand. Nevertheless, because the Raiders are in the midst of a rebuild, they are in no rush to force Mendoza onto the field if they feel he is not ready.