Most of the high-profile quarterback openings across the NFL vanished during the initial wave of free agency. The Las Vegas Raiders sat out the early bidding wars because they hold the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
General manager John Spytek is universally expected to select Indiana standout Fernando Mendoza. But starting a rookie quarterback under a first-year head coach often leads to a loss of confidence and early career struggles. The Raiders solved that immediate problem by signing veteran Kirk Cousins to a short-term deal.
The move signaled a massive shift in how the organization handles premium talent. They have their bridge quarterback secured and the top pick locked in. The only remaining question is how long Cousins can hold off the incoming, highly touted prospect.
Kirk Cousins Acquisition and Fernando Mendoza’s Path
The 37-year-old Cousins is no longer the prolific passer who threw for over 44,000 career yards and carried fantasy football rosters. His 2025 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons was visibly hampered by age and minor injuries. He managed just over 1,700 passing yards and 10 touchdowns across 10 appearances before losing his grip on the starting job.
As Michael Penix Jr.’s backup, Cousins ranked No. 30 among signal-callers in PFSN’s NFL QB Impact Metrics last year. But Las Vegas is not asking him to resurrect his prime or play like a Pro Bowler. The franchise simply needs a competent teacher to hold the fort.
Mendoza arrives with a phenomenal collegiate resume. He transferred to Indiana, won the 2025 Heisman Trophy by a landslide margin, and led the Hoosiers to an undefeated regular season. He threw over 30 passing touchdowns and completed over 70% of his passes in the Big Ten.
He is a 22-year-old prospect who processes defensive coverages quickly and throws with incredible anticipation. Sitting him behind a 14-year NFL veteran allows him to learn the speed of the professional game without taking unnecessary physical punishment against elite pass rushers.
At 39 years old, head coach Klint Kubiak is stepping into the lead role for the first time. He spent 2025 orchestrating the Seattle Seahawks offense to massive success, utilizing heavy play-action concepts and outside zone runs. Kubiak needs to establish a functional, winning culture in the Las Vegas locker room immediately.
Cousins knows exactly how to operate an under-center, play-action scheme efficiently. He built his career executing the exact concepts Kubiak wants to run. Handing the veteran the starting job in Week 1 gives the coaching staff a stable, predictable foundation.
This allows Kubiak to install his playbook without constantly correcting rookie mistakes in the huddle. Kubiak uses extensive pre-snap shifting to reveal defensive coverages. Cousins has spent over a decade diagnosing these exact defensive tells.
He can act as an on-field coach, pointing out blitz packages and showing Mendoza how to manipulate safeties with his eyes.
Why Rushing Mendoza and the Raiders Rookie Makes No Sense
The Raiders are quietly assembling an offensive roster that can properly support a young quarterback. They possess two elite weapons still playing on cheap rookie contracts. Running back Ashton Jeanty racked up 975 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie in 2025.
He proved he can handle a heavy workload in the physical AFC West. Tight end Brock Bowers established himself as a premier target over the middle, catching 64 passes for 680 yards and seven scores last season despite missing several games.
The skill positions are young, explosive, and ready to grow alongside their future quarterback. Las Vegas clearly has its eyes on a long-term rebuild rather than a quick fix. Management already attempted to trade star edge rusher Maxx Crosby before the deal fell apart.
That organizational mindset proves they are not desperate to force a rookie quarterback onto the field just to string together a few meaningless wins. They have the luxury of patience. The AFC West remains an absolute gauntlet. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs dominate the division, and the Los Angeles Chargers boast a fierce pass rush.
Throwing a rookie straight into that divisional meat grinder is incredibly dangerous. Letting Cousins absorb those early-season hits preserves Mendoza for the long haul. If Cousins struggles early in the season, the coaching staff can easily pivot to Mendoza.
The rookie will step into an offense perfectly suited for his skill set. Kubiak relies on defined reads and bootlegs to move the pocket. That plays right into Mendoza’s ability to throw accurately on the run.
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He will be supported by Jeanty’s downhill running threat and Bowers’ elite separation skills. Other franchises routinely ruin top draft picks by throwing them behind bad offensive lines with zero veteran guidance. The Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears have written the textbook on how to mismanage young signal-callers in recent years.
The Raiders are actively avoiding that mistake. They secured their bridge quarterback and mapped out a responsible development plan for their future franchise cornerstone. The silver and black finally have a coherent blueprint under center.
2026 NFL Draft Preview
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and then from there, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen. This is a very weak quarterback class; in fact, there’s a real possibility that Mendoza will be the only QB selected on Day 1, which is rare in today’s NFL.
Over the last 24 years, there have only been two NFL Drafts where a single QB was picked in the first round: 2022 (Kenny Pickett at No. 20) and 2013 (EJ Manuel at No. 16).
Not only is this class weak on QBs, but it is also full of polarizing prospects and studs who play typically undervalued positions. That means each team’s board may look drastically different, and there could be a ton of surprises tonight as a result.
There are also plenty of trade rumors swirling in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, as many teams are reportedly looking to move up and down the board. Also, names like Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown, Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens, Jacksonville Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr., and Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson Sr. are among the veterans who have surfaced in trade rumors.
For everything you need to know about the 2026 NFL Draft, check out PFSN’s NFL Draft HQ. From prospect scouting reports to team needs to player comparisons to a big board to the most commonly projected picks for each team, it has everything you need to cram ahead of the draft and evaluate each move that happens once the event kicks off.
The NFL Draft HQ, coupled with PFSN’s live “Football Debate Club” analysis will make you the smartest fan in the room. Watch PFSN’s Live 2026 NFL Draft Show here:
