The Las Vegas Raiders have been clear about their quarterback room all offseason long. They signed four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins to a one-year, fully guaranteed $11.3 million contract in April, but the 38-year-old knew he was joining the Fernando Mendoza show weeks before Las Vegas officially selected the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner first overall.
"I do think Fernando is going to be a great addition to our team, and I think he's going to have a great future in the league," Cousins said on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" in April. "I have no problem being a voice in the room to kind of help him to the degree that I can. He's going to have great support all around him from the coaching staff."
The dynamic of Cousins as the veteran mentor and Mendoza as the future face of the franchise led to a fun schedule release video for the Raiders in which the two passers played off this dynamic while parodying "Step Brothers."
Cousins isn't handing over the job
However, that doesn't mean Cousins is going to roll over and allow Mendoza to start in Week 1 just because he's the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 14-year veteran has every intention of fighting to begin the 2026 season as Las Vegas' starting quarterback.
"I don't want to start unless I'm the best option. I told [head coach] Klint [Kubiak] that the best player should play," Cousins said. "Certainly as long as that's the case, I have no qualms with however that [the quarterback competition] plays out."
When Mendoza could start
Mendoza leading college football in passing touchdowns (41) and total touchdowns (48) helped power the Indiana Hoosiers to their first football national championship, but the game is much faster at the NFL level. That's why the Raiders signed Cousins: to provide a mentor for Mendoza to learn from while giving him time to acclimate to the pace of the game.
That's why whenever Mendoza does make his first start, it would make sense for him to face another rebuilding squad's defense to get his feet wet before facing some of the NFL's best. There are a few different opportunities for him to do just that based on the Raiders' schedule.
Week 1 vs. Miami Dolphins
Should Mendoza prove he's well ahead of Cousins in training camp, Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins could make some sense. The Dolphins have a new head coach (Jeff Hafley), general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan) and quarterback (Malik Willis).
Week 3 at New Orleans Saints
If not Week 1, then the next earliest time to unleash Mendoza could be Week 3 at the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have a quarterback in just his second season (Tyler Shough) and three potential starters in the secondary who entered the league in 2024 or later.
Week 8 at New York Jets
After that, waiting until Week 8 at the New York Jets could be ideal. The 2025 Jets became the first team in NFL history to fail to produce an interception on defense in a season. New York has overhauled its defense through the draft and free agency this offseason, but that's a lot of new faces getting acclimated together on a rebuilding team.
The right time for Mendoza to start
It will be incredibly invaluable for Mendoza to observe Cousins' game-week routine that's allowed him to enter his 15th NFL season in 2026, but there will become a point where the first overall pick will need to play in order to give the Raiders the best chance to win while also evaluating whether he can be the franchise's long-term answer.