Las Vegas will make Fernando Mendoza the Raiders’ starting quarterback for the first time this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
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Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 overall pick at the 2026 NFL Draft, will make his first regular-season start this Sunday after taking over the quarterback role following the departure of Kirk Cousins.
Cousins was traded back to the Minnesota Vikings on deadline day, clearing the way for Mendoza to lead the Raiders against the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who are preparing to have Drew Lock under centre in place of the injured Sam Darnold.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said the expectation is for Mendoza to run the offence immediately. “Our expectation is for him to lead the offense, to lead the operation, and to go play a game here Sunday and be the leader of the team,” Kubiak said. “We have to prepare him and give him a lot of reps to get him comfortable.”
Mendoza has spent most of the season learning behind Cousins and has had limited game action this year, with his only appearance coming in October in a 45-17 defeat to the Patriots. He entered in the fourth quarter and went 6 of 8 for 48 yards.
Raiders general manager John Spytek said Mendoza has been ready both on and off the field. “This is something that he's worked very hard for since the moment he walked into this building,” Spytek said. “He passed every test. He put us in a position where we had to make a very hard decision today with his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback.”
The Seahawks are preparing for Mendoza as he begins his NFL stretch. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said the preparation challenge includes limited available tape, but added that the defence believes it can get after the rookie. “It's a bit challenging because you have no tape on him,” Murphy said. “You don't have too many tendencies or some of his weaknesses.”
Murphy added that Seattle’s defensive line expects to communicate and pressure as a unit. “As far as what I've seen on tape, the guy, number one draft pick, he can make all the throws,” he said. “As a unit, as a defense, especially as a defensive line, we can get after this guy, especially in the passing game. We have to rush as one, be on one accord and our communication has to be at a high level. We can get after him.”
Mendoza enters the starting role with a Heisman Trophy background and a prolific college season. After guiding the unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers to their first college national title, he threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes.
Statistically, the Raiders’ quarterback change comes as the team’s offence and passing production has depended on Cousins’ start to the year. The Raiders rank 15th in total yards, fifth in passing and eighth in scoring. Cousins has thrown for 2,340 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and the Vikings sought to re-acquire him to address their offensive slump.
Seattle counters with a top receiving threat in Brock Bowers, who has been Mendoza’s leading target this season with 658 receiving yards and six touchdowns while averaging 94.0 yards per game. The teams meet with the Raiders at 4-5 as they prepare for the 5-4 Seahawks.
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