Fernando Mendoza officially signs rookie contract

Not exactly a surprise — you’d really hope your No. 1 overall quarterback pick would get some first-team reps before the season starts — but this is notable because earlier reports had Kirk Cousins taking all the first-team reps in offseason practices. Mendoza is not likely to be named the starter before the season, but it sounds like it’s more of a matter of when rather than if he eventually overtakes Cousins for the lead role this year.

Cousins continues to be positioned for the Week 1 start. The 37-year-old vet isn’t expected to remain the starter for the entirety of the season, but naming him the starter will give No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, who is still working on his footwork and playing more from under center, time to develop. While it’s long been assumed that Cousins would emerge from camp as the team’s starter, the fact that he’s reportedly taken every first-team rep thus far in the offseason suggests there’s little room for Mendoza to make an inroad for the QB1 job before the start of camp. We’ll see if this changes once training camp kicks off at the end of the month, but it sounds like Cousins has a firm grip on the starting job as of now.

Raiders coaches have asked Mendoza to learn the intricacies of taking snaps from under center, which is something he rarely did in college. After practice today, Raiders assistant head coach Mike McCoy said Mendoza “has done a phenomenal job playing under center.” Mendoza feels like he is “leaps and bounds” ahead of where he was just a few months ago, but is still working on timing up his footwork “a little better with the routes.” The sooner he masters the little things, the sooner the Raiders will name him the starter. For now, the team maintains that QB Kirk Cousins is their QB1.

McFadden reports that Cousins took the majority of the first team reps in Raiders practice on Wednesday. Meanwhile, No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza “played mostly with the rookies and the third team.” Head coach Klint Kubiak does not yet have a timeline to name a starter, but McFadden notes that Kubiak, general manager John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady are believers in letting a young quarterback sit behind a veteran initially. Cousins signed with the Raiders before the draft after parting ways with the Falcons in the offseason. The 37-year-old has started games with every team he has played with and this will likely continue to be the case. Mendoza is slated to sit to start the 2026 season, though we wouldn’t rule out the Indiana product starting by the time the Raiders’ Week 13 bye week rolls around.

“He’s a good decision-maker, but I don’t think he’s got the NFL traits,” the coach told ESPN anonymously. “They’re all back-shoulder [throws]. That’s not working in the NFL. His receivers made plays to make him look better than he is. In the NFL, those throws are getting picked off.” Conversely, a Big Ten coach told ESPN Mendoza is “one of the more complete quarterback prospects he has seen.” Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after leading the Indian Hoosiers to their first-ever college football title, is widely expected to start the season on the bench behind Kirk Cousins. How long Mendoza waits for the starting gig likely depends on Cousins’ performance in Klint Kubiak’s offense.

According to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, Mendoza took just five snaps under center over the course of his three-year college career. He took 2,073 snaps in shotgun formation. Mendonz said he is focused on footwork, particularly the first two steps, “securing the snap and getting out of there,” right now. He’s also been conducting walk-throughs at the team hotel with his fellow rookies over the past two nights, taking 25-50 snaps under center with each offensive lineman. Raiders veteran QB Kirk Cousins spent three seasons with head coach Klint Kubiak, as members of the Vikings, so Cousins, 37, will have an obvious edge in organized team activities later this month. That said, given Mendoza’s smarts and work ethic, we expect him to make playing style adjustments very quickly. No. 1 overall picks don’t stay in the backup role for long.

A Cal standout who became a Heisman Trophy, national-title winning superstar at Indiana, Mendoza (6’5/236) is deadly accurate and appropriately aggressive. Although he lacks elite arm strength or improvisational ability, his “on time” play style allows him to make throws to all three levels of the field, absolutely shredding defenses when he is allowed to pass in rhythm. Outside of structure, Mendoza is not the best at navigating pressure, though he is capable of making plays on the ground with his massive frame. Mendoza had an uncanny knack for executing on the biggest snaps in Bloomington, thriving on third down and in the red zone. He does not require excessive play-action hand-holding, though he was afforded no shortage of RPOs at Indiana. Although Mendoza’s personality can sometimes seem reminiscent of Russell Wilson, his athletic profile reminds of early-career Ben Roethlisberger. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared him to Joe Burrow. An elite processor whose strengths far outweigh his weaknesses, Mendoza is a worthy No. 1 overall pick even if he does not project as a generational-talent at football’s most important position. His first order of business will be winning a training camp competition — contrived or otherwise — with Kirk Cousins. Like many teams before them, the Raiders have claimed they are comfortable sitting Mendoza to begin his career. Believe it when you see it.

Per Rapoport, the Raiders want Cousins to mentor impending No. 1 overall pick, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, all season as the starter, before turning the offense over to Mendoza in 2027. That said, Rapoport rhetorically asked viewers how long Cousins’ starting stint might last this year before saying, “we simply don’t know.” Mendoza could absolutely end up under center this season.

It’s no secret the Raiders are more than likely going to select Indiana’ Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, the question has been lingering on whether the Raiders will start Mendoza out of the gate or let him sit for a bit first. Las Vegas signed Kirk Cousins as a veteran presence in the locker room and still have Aidan O’Connell as quarterback depth. Spytek implied that a competition between Cousins, O’Connell, and Mendoza could shake out the Week 1 starter. Mendoza would be the franchise quarterback, but there is a good chance Cousins (or even O’Connell) start in the interim while the rookie gets better prepared for the long-term.

Miller says the Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick will be Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders will then use their early-season-round pick to “support” their rookie quarterback. He notes that Washington WR Denzel Boston has been “connected” to the Raiders already. Miller’s colleague, Ryan McFadden chimes in to say that reuniting Mendoza with Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt “would also be ideal.”