The Fernando Mendoza era has started in Las Vegas. With Kirk Cousins traded to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, the No. 1 overall pick will take over as the Raiders’ starting quarterback, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. His first career start comes Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Raiders sent Cousins to Minnesota for a 2027 third-round pick hours before the trade deadline. We covered that side in our Kirk Cousins trade story.
Why Mendoza sat for nine weeks
Las Vegas made an unusual call with the top pick in April. Instead of starting Mendoza right away, the Raiders signed Cousins as a bridge quarterback. Athlon noted Mendoza is the first quarterback taken No. 1 overall who didn’t start in Week 1 since Baker Mayfield in 2018.
That plan came from the top. Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek have both said they believe in not throwing a young quarterback in too early, according to Fox News.
Cousins held up his end. He threw for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a 97.1 passer rating in nine starts, per Fox Sports. As recently as this past weekend, Schefter reported the Raiders hadn’t gotten trade calls on Cousins and weren’t interested in moving him.
Then Minnesota called with a third-round pick, and the plan sped up.
What we’ve seen from Fernando Mendoza
Not much yet. Mendoza’s only regular-season action came in garbage time of a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots. He went 6-of-8 for 48 yards on one drive that ended on downs, according to Athlon.
His preseason was uneven. CBS Sports reported he went 25-of-45 for 240 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions across three games. But CBS insider Matt Zenitz said Mendoza has been “tearing it up in practice” during the season, which gave the Raiders confidence he’s ready.
Mendoza was a college star before all this. He won the Heisman Trophy at Indiana and led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and the national championship, Bleacher Report noted. He’s 23.
A tough first test
The schedule doesn’t do him any favors. Seattle ranks first in the NFL in total defense, allowing 244.2 yards per game, according to Bleacher Report. After that, the Raiders head to Denver in Week 11, per CBS Sports, to face another strong defense.
Mendoza does inherit a productive offense. The Raiders rank eighth in the league at 26.4 points per game, Bleacher Report noted, so he won’t have to carry everything.
Where the Raiders stand
Las Vegas is 4-5 and third in the AFC West, per Fox Sports. The Raiders opened the season 3-0 and then lost five of their next six games.
That slide is part of why the timing made sense. The Raiders are still close enough to the playoff race that the next eight games matter, but the long-term goal matters more. Las Vegas gets half a season to find out what it has in its franchise quarterback before the offseason.
Coach Klint Kubiak hinted at this earlier in the year. When asked about the quarterback spot, he said Cousins was the starter but added that if Mendoza’s number was called, the team had confidence in him, according to NBC Sports.
Now his number has been called. For our full take on how the Raiders did at the deadline, see our trade deadline winners and losers.
Fantasy football take
Mendoza isn’t a fantasy starter in Week 10 against Seattle’s defense, but he’s worth a stash in superflex and two-quarterback leagues. Raiders pass catchers carry more risk with a rookie under center. For more on this week’s lineup calls, see our Week 10 start/sit guide.
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