How Fernando Mendoza is challenging Raiders' coaches early in NFL career

Those running the Las Vegas Raiders clearly want 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza to spend the spring worrying more about learning the Raiders' offense than about possibly competing with veteran Kirk Cousins for the starting job. 

During the latest edition of the Raiders' "Upon Further Review" program, new Las Vegas offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko revealed how Mendoza is challenging members of the team's coaching staff ahead of mandatory minicamp. 

Fernando Mendoza already has Raiders coaches evaluating the offense?

"He's asking questions that you might not have thought about in a couple of years," Janocko said about Mendoza, per Paul Gutierrez of the Raiders' website. "It also makes you evaluate everything. 'I know we've had some success doing it one way, but we could do it another way and be even better.'"

The fact that the NFL put zero prime-time games on the Raiders' schedule for 2026 was yet the latest reminder that people around the league don't expect Vegas to produce many must-see moments with Cousins atop the depth chart. That said, first-year Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak and team minority owner Tom Brady have previously suggested that it's better for everybody involved if quarterbacks spend parts of their rookie seasons serving as backups. 

Thus, it's fair to assume Cousins will get the nod for the Raiders' Week 1 home game versus the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13. 

Raiders already having fun working with Fernando Mendoza

"He's somebody that wants to know the whys of everything, the story behind everything," Janocko added about Mendoza. "What we're calling, but why are we calling it? He's really just a sponge that wants to know everything. So it's a lot of fun working with a quarterback like that because he's coming in as a blank slate in this offense - never been in this offense before - and just asking a ton of questions."

Kubiak and Co. reportedly learned some time ago that Mendoza is a "driven kid with a maniacal work ethic." That work ethic may not matter as it pertains to who starts for the Raiders against Miami, but it could help Mendoza achieve immediate success whenever he receives his first opportunity to play in a meaningful game.