Tom Brady reportedly urging Raiders to make this Fernando Mendoza, Kirk Cousins decision

Throughout the past several months, numerous stories have indicated that first-year Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak will ultimately name veteran Kirk Cousins the team's Week 1 starting quarterback over promising rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. 

During Thursday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, NFL insider Dan Graziano touched upon how much say Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has in the club's development of Mendoza. 

Tom Brady wants Fernando Mendoza to sit until Mendoza, Raiders are ready for a QB switch

"I think if Kirk Cousins doesn't start Week 1 for the Raiders, assuming he's healthy, at this point, that would be a surprise," Graziano explained. "The Raiders seem to be making it clear they want to go about it this way. I've been told that Tom Brady is actually the voice in the building that is the strongest in terms of, 'We should wait. We should sit Fernando Mendoza until he's ready, until we're ready for him.'"

Brady is the alleged "de facto boss when it comes to football matters" for the Raiders, and he's also serving as a mentor for Mendoza. Back in the summer of 2024, Brady raised eyebrows and sparked some debates among members of the football community when he said he thought it was "a tragedy that we’re forcing these [rookie quarterbacks] to play early." 

Tom Brady wants Fernando Mendoza to follow in the footsteps of Eli Manning?

Long before Brady and the New England Patriots suffered a pair of Super Bowl losses to New York Giants teams led by quarterback Eli Manning, Manning spent a portion of his rookie season serving as a backup for Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. Graziano seems to think Mendoza could benefit from going through a similar experience. 

"I always go back to a conversation I had with Eli Manning about six, seven years into his career, and he said he was glad he did both things his rookie year," Graziano added. "He sat behind Kurt Warner for about half the season, and then he got to start for the second half of the season. So when he became the starter full-time in his second year, it wasn't unfamiliar to him. Something along those lines with Fernando Mendoza might make a lot of sense for the Raiders."

For now, it continues to seem as if Cousins will get the start for the Raiders' Week 1 game versus the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13.