Raiders Announce Kirk Cousins as Starting QB, Mendoza to Backup

Charlie Zschau Updated: 12 hours ago

The Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak announced on Wednesday that Kirk Cousins will be the teams' starting quarterback in Week 1.

The Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he will have to wait for his first NFL start. Instead, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins will play against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 of the NFL season.

Cousins, 38, has played 15 seasons in the NFL and joined the Raiders after spending the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. While Cousins remains a reliable starter, he is no longer capable of single-handedly winning games at this stage of his career.

"I'm really happy with with all three of our quarterbacks. Kirk's had a good offseason, very good camp, and he earned it," Kubiak told the press on Wednesday.

Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has previously commented on the importance of rookie quarterbacks earning their starting roles. Brady himself sat behind Drew Bledsoe for his entire rookie year before being thrust into the starting role in his second season after Bledsoe suffered a severe injury. After that first start, the Patriots never looked back.

Brady has spoken about the benefits of sitting behind a veteran and appears to be putting that philosophy into practice with his first rookie QB.

When will Fernando Mendoza make his first start?

While Brady may prefer that Mendoza sits behind Cousins for the entire season, Kubiak and the fanbase will likely be eager to see the rookie in action sooner rather than later.

Las Vegas faces a challenging schedule in 2026, particularly against some of the league's top defenses, including the Chargers, Patriots, Rams, Seahawks & Broncos.

If Cousins performs well and elevates the Raiders' offense, Mendoza can be eased in later. However, if Cousins struggles early on, the team may be forced to accelerate Mendoza's development and insert him into the starting lineup.