The Las Vegas Raiders are shockingly 2-0 just one year after losing 14 games last year and earning the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. That selection was used on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but if the team keeps this up, he may well never see the field for meaningful snaps in his rookie year. That would be a fantastic outcome, believe it or not.
Kirk Cousins is going to be the QB1 in Las Vegas for way longer than people think.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) September 20, 2026
This man can still sling it.
Mendoza currently sits behind veteran passer Kirk Cousins, who through two weeks has thrown for 413 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Somehow, his subpar 51.8 passer rating has been enough to guide the team to perfect start for the first time since 2021. Don't expect the wins to continue piling up, but if the team can somehow hover around .500 without Cousins having an absolute meltdown, Mendoza won't be asked to prematurely step on the field.
Unlike other rookies in recent years, Mendoza could be afforded the opportunity to develop under a veteran and, more importantly, one of the team's minority owners in Tom Brady for most of the year. It's clear the six-time Super Bowl champion wanted Cousins to be the Raiders' starter in order to spare Mendoza, even if the latter was better in training camp, from being thrown to the proverbial wolves too soon. That could extend the 22-year-old's career considerably.
Raiders don't need a playoff run to keep Fernando Mendoza from premature NFL debut
The Raiders aren't about to go 10-7 and clinch a playoff spot with Cousins under center. However, an impressive (albeit probably lucky) 2-0 start affords the team some extra time to let Cousins keep the reins before having to give Mendoza necessary reps. The best-case scenario would be something like an 8-9 finish to the year with Mendoza maybe seeing game action in the fourth quarter of a hopeless blowout or the final week or two of the campaign.
There's no reason to rush him onto the field even if Cousins begins to throw a near-even touchdown to interception ratio. Elite passers in the league today like Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love got at least one full season on the bench to develop before entering as a starter. That time was invaluable and spared their teams unnecessary growing pains.
It also prevents injuries spurred from poor protection or bad decision-making. So far, Las Vegas' pass protection has been adequate — Cousins was sacked just twice in two games — but it only takes one bad hit to injure a quarterback. Mendoza shouldn't be on the field if the Raiders' offensive line is missing multiple starters or has seen a decline in quality later in the year.
Las Vegas is going to need Mendoza healthy for a long time if he's going to be the franchise QB the team envisions him to be. Even head coach Klint Kubiak admitted Mendoza needed extra work after his preseason performances, and that's not a bad thing whatsoever. Give him the time to grow into an NFL-caliber starter rather than struggle across unnecessary contests and risk prolonging that developement due to injuries.
Mendoza has the potential to become a true force in the league. More coaches should be following the example guys like Andy Reid carried over from the older era of the NFL, truly marinating a prospect before letting them loose on the field.
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