Now this is a more traditional quarterback battle. Much like the duel going on with the Cleveland Browns these days, a young quarterback was brought in to take up the job from a veteran. The key difference between the two teams is that the Las Vegas Raiders traded the struggling veteran quarterback over the offseason.
However, the Raiders brought in a new veteran, Kirk Cousins, to compete for the job with the first overall pick, Fernando Mendoza. To reiterate, Cousins was brought in the same offseason that the team that signed him brought a quarterback on board with a first-round pick. How very Atlanta Falcons of the silver and black.
How will Cousins fare in the battle this time, now that he is not recovering from a torn Achilles tendon to begin the season? Will Mendoza get the Week 1 starting honor? There is no better time than now to predict.
Predicting the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback battle
The Las Vegas Raiders were a bad team in the 2025 campaign. That is exactly why the organization ended up with the top pick in this draft. That said, the front office went to work this offseason and plugged up a lot of glaring holes on the roster.
With these moves came a new head coach, a new starting center and a revamped defense. However, there is still a massive deficiency on the Raiders’ roster. That comes in the form of pass catchers, more specifically, the wide receiver position.
That area may be the key to deciding the quarterback battle in Las Vegas. The only “threat” that the team brought in this offseason was Jalen Nailor, who was a consistent third option in his time with the Minnesota Vikings. However, Nailor goes back to the days of Cousins slinging the rock around in Minnesota.
With an established connection with the top pass catcher brought into Las Vegas this offseason, it feels like the Raiders were planning on Cousins being the guy this season. Don’t take my word for it, however. Take minority owner Tom Brady’s stance on rookie quarterbacks instead.
In a 2024 interview with Stephen A. Smith, the legendary quarterback, turned Raiders minority owner offered this statement on rookie signal-callers starting in the NFL.
"“I think it's just a tragedy that we're forcing these rookies to play early.”"Tom Brady
Now, it does not seem as if Brady is in favor of starting his franchise’s newest quarterback. With all of this in mind, it does not feel likely that Mendoza will begin the season as the starter. If something happened to Cousins, given how stern Brady seemed on his stance on rookies, it might be Aidan O’Connell assuming the starting job, at least temporarily, while the rookie absorbs and learns.
All in all, it feels like Cousins is a safe bet to walk into Week 1 as the starting quarterback for the Raiders in 2026.
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