The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t named Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback yet, and some still don’t buy the idea that the team is ready to bench Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
However, there is one NFL analyst who’s sounding off about the real reason he believes the Raiders will start Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowl QB, rather than Mendoza right away.
Dan Graziano Discusses Raiders Starting Kirk Cousins
One person who essentially says it’s become obvious why the Raiders will move forward with Cousins as their starter is ESPN NFL analyst Dan Graziano. Here’s what he said on “Get Up” on Friday.
“You see the A-level performance,” Graziano said about Mendoza. “You see why he was drafted first overall. You also see a lot of what he still has to work on. So, you come away from the Raiders’ preseason games, either one of them at this point, you know why they took him, and you know why they’re going to start Kirk Cousins Week 1. Because he has more to do.”
Yet, Graziano was also quick to point out some strong positives he’s seen in the Raiders’ rookie QB.
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“The beautiful thing about Mendoza is you go back to that press conference from a couple of days ago after the Texans’ first-team defense was knocking him around in a joint practice, and he’s energized,” Graziano pointed out. “He’s like, ‘There’s some plays I liked, some plays I wanted back, actually I didn’t want ’em back cuz they’re great learning experiences.'”
Lastly, Graziano made the argument that Mendoza is “everything they want him to be right now.” He also pointed out Raiders minority owner Tom Brady’s belief that it’s best for young QBs to sit and learn before being thrown into the fire.
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“He’s everything they want him to be right now,” Graziano stated. “That does not include being their Week 1 starter, but that’s fine. Tom Brady… is a high-level decision-maker in that organization, and he’s been vocal about being ruined by playing too soon. This guy is not going to play right away, and you can see what it is they still need him to do.”
There’s a reason the Raiders sought out a highly capable veteran like Cousins to both serve as a bridge QB and a veteran voice of reason in that QB room, as well as lead the offense that ranked second-worst in the league last season on PFN’s Offense Impact Metric.
Cousins has been in Mendoza’s position before, as a successful college QB who had to sit right away in the NFL. Although he didn’t become a full-time starter until his fourth season, the 38-year-old quarterback has enjoyed a long career as he enters his 15th year in the NFL. Mendoza can only hope to have that much longevity.
