Raiders Name Kirk Cousins Starter Over No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza
A veteran quarterback wins the job over the No. 1 overall pick heading into Las Vegas' season opener.
Head coach Klint Kubiak named veteran Kirk Cousins the Week 1 starting quarterback over rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, ahead of hosting Miami. It's the first real quarterback decision of Kubiak's tenure in Las Vegas, and one that immediately shapes how the front office is judged on a rebuild still searching for its long-term answer at the position.
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Cousins, 38, ranked just 24th in PFN's QB Impact Metric in 2025 with the Falcons, throwing for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 10 games. Mendoza, 22, is the No. 1 overall pick opening his rookie year on the bench behind him — a genuine departure from the modern trend of playing top picks immediately, regardless of the veteran ahead of them. Running back Ashton Jeanty (ankle) is optimistic for Week 1. Offseason additions include center Tyler Linderbaum and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, both real attempts to shore up a defense that struggled to get off the field in 2025. The decision also makes real NFL history in an unflattering way: Mendoza becomes the first quarterback drafted No. 1 overall to not start his team's Week 1 opener since Baker Mayfield in 2018. Kubiak defended the call directly, saying "Kirk's had a really good offseason, very good camp, and he's earned it," while general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady have both been open advocates for letting a rookie quarterback develop behind a veteran rather than getting thrown in immediately.
"Fernando Mendoza will take over by Week 8, you heard it here first."— A fantasy football analyst, on Kirk Cousins' expected shelf life as starter
Not everyone agrees the move even needs defending. "That's not a hot take. That's how you build a quarterback," one analysis countered, arguing a rookie who watches from the bench for a stretch enters relief duty with more practice reps and NFL-speed exposure already banked. Our take: with Cousins' own QB Impact Metric ranking sliding for two straight seasons in Atlanta, this reads less like a long-term plan and more like a bridge that could collapse the first time Las Vegas' offense sputters. Kubiak and the front office are making an explicit bet that stability at quarterback matters more early on than upside, but that bet only really pays off if Cousins actually plays well enough that the question of exactly when Mendoza takes over never becomes urgent in the first place.
Raiders settle their quarterback question
Raiders draft QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall.
Kubiak names veteran Kirk Cousins the Week 1 starter over Mendoza.
Raiders host Miami to open the season.
Las Vegas is starting with experience at quarterback, at least for the opener.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Raiders -3.5 at home over Miami, per Week 1 lines from ESPN and Covers.com.
39.5 total points, one of the lowest Week 1 totals on the board. We lean the under with two offenses still finding their footing.
Kirk Cousins Under 224.5 passing yards (-110 range at most books) in a low-total, run-first script for his Raiders debut.
Odds referenced from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM lines as of this week; lines move, always confirm current odds before betting.
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Sources: Silver and Black Pride, ESPN