Kirk Cousins is expected to the Raiders starting quarterback to start the 2026 season, but is it possible Fernando Mendoza could win the job in training camp or the preseason?
The Raiders reportedly want Cousins to keep Mendoza on the sideline as long as possible, but according to the California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore, there are people in the Raiders’ building open to the idea of starting Mendoza out of the gate.
“I think that there’s people in that building who fully expect Fernando to put himself right in the running to start day one. Flat out, I don’t think there won’t be any hesitation to start him if that is the case and there’s people in the building [that] kind of fully expect that to be the case,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“So I’m not ruling out rule week one and… I think it would almost be a waste not to play him this year, because I’m looking at 2027 as the year where things really in a powerful way for the Raiders, they are really announcing themselves. So why would you wait until 2027 or late in this season and [to] not take full advantage of this year as a development year for Fernando Mendoza on the football field, not behind the scenes watching Kurt Cousins?”
“I think that would be my preference and I think that there are people in the building that are going to be open minded about, okay, if he’s ready to go out there and acquit himself and he’s not going to get destroyed by the offensive line and we feel good about that part of it, I feel like they’ll make that decision. Now we’ll have to wait and see because anything can happen in training camp one way or the other, but they are open minded about getting him on the field as quickly as possible.”
How much input will Tom Brady have on the Raiders’ decision at QB?
Bonsignore didn’t clarify which “people in the building” he talked to, but the assumption is that he wasn’t running the idea by the cafeteria staff.
Even if it was the head coach or GM who Bonsignore talked to, it would be interesting to know where Tom Brady stands on the timeline for Mendoza. For years, Brady has commented on the importance of developing young quarterbacks and not putting them on the field too soon.
From the standpoint of football acumen and maturity, Mendoza is well ahead of the curve for a rookie quarterback, but will be ready to play week 1?
That will be sorted out in August, and based on Bonsignore’s reporting this week, the Raiders are going to give Mendoza an opportunity to win the job right away.
Brady’s comments about learning behind Drew Bledsoe
Less than a year ago, Brady talked about the importance of sitting behind Drew Bledsoe for a year, and said Patrick Mahomes benefitted from having the same experience with Alex Smith.
“I had a chance to talk to Andy Reid about [young quarterback development] and I had a chance to talk to Patrick Mahomes about that this week,” Brady said in September of last year.
“Patrick flat out said, ‘I can’t thank Alex Smith enough for everything that he did for me. All I did was ask him questions in the meeting room my first year.’ I look at my first year, that’s all I did with Drew Bledsoe.”
While Brady and Mahomes certainly made the most of their careers after standing on the sideline for a year, it would be interesting to know how their careers would have played out if they were in the lineup sooner. We’ll never know if either quarterback would have found success if they had started right away, but it sounds like there is at least a chance we’re going to see if Mendoza can find success without spending a season (or even a week) on the sideline.
x: @raidersbeat
If it were me, I would definitely NOT start Mendoza until the O-Line proves it can PROTECT, as the last thing we need is for the youngster to get repeatedly hammered
Other rookies didn’t sit and were fine like Jaden Daniels. I get they’re unsure about the OL but if he’s ready get him out there.