Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Las Vegas Raiders are picking an interesting time to turn to rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
On Tuesday, the Raiders dealt starter Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings, his NFL home for six seasons (2018-23), for a 2027 third-round pick, thrusting Mendoza into the QB1 role ahead of a brutal two-game stretch against the Seattle Seahawks (5-4) and Denver Broncos (7-2), two of the league’s top defensive teams.
It will be a real sink-or-swim moment for the 2026 No. 1 overall pick, whom the Raiders made a concerted effort to protect over the first half of the season.
No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza’s NFL starting debut comes ahead of brutal two-game stretch for Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza will now take over as the starting QB following Kirk Cousins’ trade to Minnesota.
Las Vegas is 4-5, and Mendoza’s first two career starts will come against the Seahawks and Broncos, two of the NFL’s top defenses. pic.twitter.com/KFz0OfJt2J
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2026
Before taking Mendoza, a move widely expected ahead of the draft, Las Vegas signed Cousins to a deal worth $20M guaranteed this season. At the annual league meeting in late March, first-year Raiders coach Klint Kubiak spoke about his thoughts on developing a young quarterback, telling reporters, “Ideally, you don’t want him to start day one.
“You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody… I think it does help the player,” Kubiak continued, “if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”
The Raiders better hope Mendoza took extensive notes, because there might not be a worse team for him to make his starting debut against.
Entering Week 10, the Seahawks have the league’s best pass defense, allowing 155.1 yards per game. They’ve held an NFL-high eight of their opponents under 200 yards.
Mendoza doesn’t project to get much help from the run game, either. This season, the Raiders are averaging a league-worst 2.9 yards per carry and 71.3 rushing yards per game.
The Seahawks and Broncos both rank in the top 10 in pressure rate, and with Las Vegas likely to live in third-and-long situations, Mendoza might spend the majority of the next two Sundays running for his life.
When deciding to take a patient approach with Mendoza, the Raiders probably weren’t anticipating his first starts to come against the defending Super Bowl champs and then a road divisional opponent.
Las Vegas couldn’t have picked a more brutal time to make the switch. Mendoza may have a long, successful career, but it might take some time for the glimmers to show.
Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans. You can find him on X and Threads at @ericsmithling and at Bluesky at @ericsmithling.bsky.social.
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