It feels like we've known for four months that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to use the #1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but that never guaranteed Mendoza would be the team's Week 1 starter.
In fact, the Raiders have maintained all offseason that they prefer not to force a rookie quarterback to start from Week 1, and that's coming directly from head coach Klint Kubiak.
Now, we know that the Raiders will have a veteran option in the building, and one Kubiak will be very familiar with. According to his agent Mike McCartney, Kirk Cousins is signing with the Raiders.
Raiders signing Kirk Cousins will allow Fernando Mendoza to start when the team is ready
Kirk Cousins joins the Raiders per his agent https://t.co/5w1ddjvnjj
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 2, 2026
"Ideally, you don't want him to start from Day 1. You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That's in a perfect world. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it's our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show."
- Klint Kubiak (via NFL.com)
The Raiders got to see Fernando Mendoza throw 56 passes at the Indiana pro day and obviously they've been sold on him for quite some time. As set in stone as that selection feels, it will undoubtedly help Mendoza to learn from someone like Cousins, who has been one of the most successful quarterbacks of his generation.
And while that might seem like hyperbole, money doesn't lie.
Cousins has thrown for just under 45,000 yards in his career with 167 starts and a career completion rate of 66.7 percent. As mature as Mendoza may be, he's still going to be a rookie in the NFL and 23 years old later this year. He can still learn a ton from a player like Cousins, and the timeline should be the Raiders' to decide.
The worst thing you can do is rush a process. Even if Mendoza would come in and beat Cousins for the starting job right away, the Raiders are doing the right thing by getting an experienced veteran in the building.
And Cousins has worked with Kubiak in the past, so there not only won't be a huge learning curve for Cousins, but he's going to be able to help teach the offense to Mendoza. And if he's signing in Las Vegas, he obviously knows what his role will be.
He'll be compensated handsomely, income tax-free.