It felt inevitable since both players first came to the roster. But the Las Vegas Raiders finally made it official, declaring Kirk Cousins their Week 1 starter. That leaves first overall pick Fernando Mendoza in a backup role.
The news was met with mixed reactions, as many believe Cousins is the right choice for now, but some want to see Mendoza start from the jump, as they think he is better than the veteran quarterback.
NFL World Split Between Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins
A four-time Pro Bowler in his career, Cousins hasn’t been the same caliber of quarterback ever since his time with the Minnesota Vikings came to an end.
In his two years with the Atlanta Falcons, he ranked at number 16 (2024) and 24 (2025) on PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
Kirk Cousins ranked 24th out of 38 qualified players in PFN’s QB Impact metric in 2025 📊 pic.twitter.com/7TsPmfSnrt
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 2, 2026
As a result, his viability as a starter is in question. Mendoza, on the other hand, coming off winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to the national championship, feels like a far better choice, especially if he is going to be their quarterback of the future.
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However, there is some credence to a rookie quarterback learning the ropes under a veteran and easing into the NFL style of play, which is what new head coach Klint Kubiak is banking on.
Popular Twitch streamer Mills certainly agreed with the direction, claiming, “Raiders proceeding the correct way. Let the kid watch and learn. Ease him into the NFL. Rushing him Week 1 isn’t the way to maximize his chances.”
Raiders proceeding the correct way. Let the kid watch and learn. Ease him in to the NFL.
Rushing him Week 1 isn’t the way to maximize his chances. https://t.co/fVsVq3ElMe
— Mills (@MillsTwitch) September 2, 2026
One user on X added, “People will cry about this, but it’s absolutely the right decision. Mendoza was shaky in the preseason, so why wouldn’t you give him time to develop behind your veteran QB?”
Getting playing time in all three preseason games, Mendoza finished with totals of 25 completions against 45 attempts. He added 240 passing yards and one touchdown against two interceptions. “Shaky” was an accurate description of that performance.
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But for most people who were keeping up to date about the Raiders’ quarterback situation, this felt like the inevitable choice. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report stated, “This was quite obvious from the jump.”
Veteran analyst Ed Werder had a surprising stat about Mendoza not starting, revealing, “So the Fernando Mendoza era will not begin Week 1. He becomes the first No. 1 overall pick among QBs since Baker Mayfield in 2018 with the Browns not to start opening week of his rookie season.”
So the Fernando Mendoza era will not begin Week 1. He becomes the first No. 1 overall pick among QBs since Baker Mayfield in 2018 with the Browns not to start opening week of his rookie season. https://t.co/FsTI1CMnpj
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) September 2, 2026
Thankfully for the Raiders, that history isn’t littered with a ton of great rookie seasons. Names like Trevor Lawrence, Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, and Cam Ward have all had rough first years after being thrust into a starting role from the jump.
Even though the Raiders were moving forward with Cousins for the time being, some were highly skeptical about him lasting long in the starting role. As one fantasy football analyst claimed, “Fernando Mendoza will take over by Week 8, you heard it here first.”
Fernando Mendoza will take over by Week 8, you heard it here first✍🏻 https://t.co/7mfUF0X4mO
— Bryce DeGroat (@NFL_Convo) September 2, 2026
Others had similar doubts, with Alex Gold wondering, “How many weeks does he start?”
Kevin Patra of the NFL website, too, believed that a switch midway through the year was inevitable. “The real question was always… for how long?”
The real question was always…for how long? https://t.co/ZdZAEPDGDs
— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) September 2, 2026
But even as some wondered about the timeline for Mendoza to take over, Mike Jones of The Athletic was certain this was the “right way” to go about things from the new coaching staff of the Raiders.
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“Cousins always had the leg up on Mendoza,” Jones said. “Raiders want to give the rookie time to develop the right way.”
Cousins always had the leg up on Mendoza. Raiders want to give the rookie time to develop the right way. https://t.co/E59HSqT5Eb
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) September 2, 2026
It remains to be seen if what the vast majority of the NFL community believes is inevitable will end up happening. But there is enough evidence to support the patient approach that the Raiders are taking.
Whether or not Cousins remains the starter for long is a separate problem, but for the time being, giving him the Week 1 starting role might be the right way forward for this franchise.
