Raiders' Kirk Cousins put on notice amid Fernando Mendoza competition

The Las Vegas Raiders have not one but two high-profile quarterbacks in the mix this season. How many franchises can say that? Not many. But, the Raiders have veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins alongside rookie Fernando Mendoza, so they have two generations of talent ready to hit the field in their honor.

Cousins is expected to start the season. How long he does that depends on both his performance and how ready Mendoza is to really take the field. The NFL is different than college football. The players are bigger. The stage is way larger. So, it could take time.

But, Cousins isn't getting any love in a new NFL ranking of quarterbacks.

Kirk Cousins gets blasted as the Raiders' quarterback going into 2026

The Athletic has officially released its 2026 NFL Quarterback Tiers results. They have Cousins No. 28, with one offensive coordinator saying that his "lack of being able to move is a big concern."

"Skill-wise, he is a 3, but I don't know if he will be able to hold up," one GM said. "That is why I put him in the 4 category. If they did not have Mendoza, would they be comfortable with Kirk lasting 17 games? My answer would be probably not."

One former GM brought up his old torn Achilles tendon injury from 2023.

"That's a hard injury to overcome at that age," a former GM told the outlet. "He never was a strong-armed quarterback. He never was a great mover. Those things have gotten less."

Why the experts are wrong on Kirk Cousins

Frankly, the experts have this one wrong. During the 2025 NFL regular season, Cousins played in 10 games for the Atlanta Falcons, starting in eight, notching 1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and just five interceptions with an 84.8 passer rating, according to NFL research.

There's an argument to be made that the Falcons would have gone much further if they had started Cousins sooner. The Raiders are already singing his praises, too. Don't write him off quite yet.