The Las Vegas Raiders have been crystal 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 agreeing to join the Fernando Mendoza show weeks before Las Vegas officially selected the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner first overall.
Cousins Embracing Mentorship Role
"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 to the degree that he'll be able to watch a veteran quarterback go through his habits and routines. I think that can be a great asset for him, and he was here yesterday on his draft day visit. We were able to watch film together. I think he'll be a great addition to the [QB] room."
"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."
Mendoza's Ideal First Start Window
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, 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.
Should Mendoza prove he's well ahead of Cousins in training camp, Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins could make sense. The Dolphins have a new head coach (Jeff Hafley), general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan) and quarterback (Malik Willis).
If not Week 1, 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.
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. That's a lot of new faces that will be getting acclimated to playing together on a rebuilding team.