Kirk

Cousins

Kubiak didn’t come right out and say Mendoza could see more first-team reps, but it feels like things are trending that way. His response came after he was asked if Mendoza specifically deserved more first-team reps after a nice outing in his first taste of preseason action, to which Kubiak said the team will put together a plan to ensure all three QBs get first-team reps, which feels somewhat evasive and unrealistic, given that we know career backup Aidan O’Connell isn’t contending for a starting job in camp. Kubiak went on record after Thursday’s game, saying that the battle for QB1 remains Kirk Cousins’ to lose. It wouldn’t be surprising if Mendoza did see more first-team reps in the coming days, but we would be surprised if O’Connell began working in with the first team. That said, it will be worth monitoring Mendoza’s first-team reps going forward, as he could still push Cousins for the starting role before Week 1.

Cousins played on just one drive in Thursday’s loss. He went 5-for-6 on his pass attempts and capped his lone drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayer. Rookie Fernando Mendoza, who looked sharp at times in his debut, is still positioned to open the season as Cousins’ backup, as Kubiak reasserted his decision to open the year with Cousins as the starter as of right now. Cousins has worked primarily with the starters in training camp and has received mostly good reports. It seems highly unlikely he would lose the starting job before Week 1’s game against the Dolphins.

Cousins and Crosby got into it Friday with the 37-year-old quarterback taking exception after multiple hits from Crosby. Cousins got in Crosby’s face and grabbed his jersey as the two exchanged words before it was broken up. Both will sit out practice Saturday, but should be back on the field soon.

Breer believes Mendoza is proving the Raiders’ scouting reports right. The young quarterback is “living in the building as a tireless, football-obsessed worker.” Although he is only working with the second team right now, Breer thinks Mendoza has a chance to earn first-team reps over the next couple of weeks. Breer celebrates Mendoza’s “unteachable traits,” noting his ability to monitor the pass rush and pass catchers simultaneously, even when all five eligibles are out running routes, and his ability to bounce back from bad plays. That said, Mendoza is still learning to play from under center and “with his back to the ball,” but the early signs are “good.” He believes Kirk Cousins “is still clearly the best guy at running coach Klint Kubiak’s offense.” Mendoza’s odds of starting this season are still unknown, but promising No. 1 overall picks don’t sit for long.

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.

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.

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.