Kirk Cousins gets bad news in Raiders QB competition with Fernando Mendoza
from Anne Erickson, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into the new season with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza. Since Mendoza is just getting his feet wet in the NFL, it would make the most sense for Cousins to start.
But, if Cousins is hoping to be the Raiders’ starting quarterback for an extended period of time, the latest bit of news out of the team’s early practices is bad news for the veteran.
Mendoza is taking his first snaps with the Raiders ahead of the 2026 NFL season, and how he performs now will have a lot to do with how soon this franchise feels comfortable making him the team’s starting quarterback. So, how is Mendoza doing so far?
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Fernando Mendoza already delivering impressive results with the Raiders
According to a report from James Palmer of Bleacher Report, Mendoza is blowing away the staff in Las Vegas. A solid performance from the signal-caller this early only points to the team giving him more responsibility sooner than expected.
“Everything that I have been told is that Fernando Mendoza has wowed this staff at every turn, and it’s from the work ethic to the focus to being pretty much all ball all the time to working under center,” Palmer said on Tuesday regarding what’s going on inside the Raiders’ camp.
That doesn’t mean Mendoza will start right away, though. Palmer added that what he’s seeing “points to Kirk Cousins starting Week 1, but how much can Fernando Mendoza make that a debate or make that a question or make that something that the coaching staff is going to ponder to some extent. He’s off and running to a really, really good start.”
Mendoza has certainly shown that he’s serious about playing ball, even to the extent that he would rather be on the field than talking to the press. Speaking with Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated, Mendoza said that he would “rather be practicing right now” than doing the interview. But, doing press comes with the territory.
One thing is certain about both Mendoza and Cousins: They both want the Raiders to have a successful 2026 season and to see Las Vegas bounce back from a 3-14 record. They should both be supportive of the best move for the team, whether that’s having Cousins or Mendoza start.