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The Raiders want to protect Fernando Mendoza at the start of his career. That is why they signed Kirk Cousins despite using the first pick in the draft on a quarterback.
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General manager John Spytek gave some insight into what it would take for Mendoza to play this season. It might simply come down to the Raiders’ record.
“It’s all of it,” Spytek told Charles Robinson during training camp. “How Fernando practices, how Kirk practices, wins and losses. If Kirk’s in there, and we’re 7-3 after 10 games, that’s different than if we’re 3-7. That’s probably ultimately what kept (Patrick) Mahomes on the bench (as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs). They were in the playoffs. They were in the race through the whole thing.”
If Cousins does start Week 1, it will be the first time since 2016 that a quarterback drafted first overall doesn’t start the season. Since the Raiders took JaMarcus Russell in 2007, Jared Goff in 2016 is the only quarterback drafted first to not start in Week 1.
The Raiders’ Record
The Raiders win total is 6.5, according to BetMGM. It is much more likely this team is 3-7 than 7-3 after 10 games.
Spytek mentioning the record defies his own logic. The Raiders are choosing to sit Mendoza to start his career to help develop him into a better quarterback for the future. Las Vegas essentially punted on 2026 in order to nurture Mendoza.
So the Raiders’ record should be irrelevant in the choice to start Mendoza. It should simply come down to when he is ready. If he isn’t ready while the team struggles to a 3-7 record, he should not see the field. The record and Cousins’ play should have no impact on when Mendoza gets to play.
But how will the Raiders handle the pressure if this team is losing? Drafting a quarterback with the first pick creates expectations. Watching a team lose while sitting that quarterback will create frustration and tension.
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A 3-7 record means the team was something like 1-4 to start the season. Is a 10-game sample a reasonable timeline? Will the Raiders try to jumpstart the season earlier by going to Mendoza after just a handful of games?
Ultimately it will come down to how committed the Raiders are to developing Mendoza. So far in the preseason, Klint Kubiak is showing the opposite. He is hindering Mendoza’s development to make sure Cousins is as ready for the season as possible.
The Quarterbacks’ Practice Reps
Cousins has dominated the snaps with the first-team offense. He took all of the snaps with starters in the first preseason game, and Cousins has taken all of the first-team reps in practice except for the one day he was suspended for fighting with Maxx Crosby.
That continued on Sunday, when Cousins again took all of the snaps with the starters.
The only time Mendoza has gotten a chance with the starters was after the two veteran leaders of the team got punished. The Raiders have shown no interest in giving Mendoza a chance to outplay Cousins in practice. Which essentially defeats Spytek’s point about how each quarterback practices matters.
If only one quarterback gets a real chance in practice, there can be no real comparison.
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This story was originally published August 16, 2026 at 11:34 AM.