For many teams in the league, the quarterback situation is rock-solid. The best teams in the NFL have no quarterback issues and absolutely know who the starter will be. The other teams that are not in this boat want to climb in it at some point.
And as the saying goes, "If you have two quarterbacks, you have none." That will end up being the case as the training cam period rolls on, as teams will begin to see that they truly do not have a clear-cut answer at the most important position in sports.
But here, we have you convered, as we've predicted the 'winner' of every offseason quarterback battle, or at least every quarterback situation in the league that much of the national media is looking at.
Predicting the winners of QB battles across the league during training camp
Las Vegas Raiders: Kirk Cousins vs. Fernando Mendoza
New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak really didn't mince words when talking about this quarterback situation:
"When we go out to practice [on Wednesday], Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback," Kubiak said. "He's the guy, and he deserves it because he's played really good football. But I want Fernando and Aidan [O'Connell] to push him."
I guess that settles it, huh? It's clear that the Raiders just do not want to rush Mendoza into the starting lineup and would rather the team start a veteran like Cousins. While there isn't one right way to develop a quarterback in terms of sitting or starting, there are obvious benefits for the Raiders to sit Mendoza for a year, or part of a year.
The Raiders are still a bit of a mess on offense. They might just have the worst wide receiver room in the NFL, and it's unclear if the offensive line personnel is good enough. It'd be unfair to the rookie Mendoza to be exposed to that when he simply doesn't need to be. Ideally, he sits for a year, soaks up all he can, and takes over as the starter with a much-improved personnel situation in 2027.
I'd also add that this may not even be a 'quarterback competition' to beginn with, but I guess if Mendoza does well for himself with the remainder of the offseaeson, some folks might think that he should start over the veteran Cousins.
For now, though, it seems like a near-lock that Cousins is taking the Week 1 snaps.
Winner: Cousins
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