Overall, the Las Vegas Raiders are preparing to make Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s even reportedly already learning the offense from Brian Griese, who has overlap with first-year Raiders head coach Clint Kubiak on the 49ers in 2023.
Still, Mendoza is not expected to be the Raiders’ Week 1 starter. Las Vegas would love to find a bridge QB who can hold down the starting job until they determine the Heisman winner is ready for the job, no matter how long that takes.
recently, athleticSaad Youssef gave an idea of who that QB could be. He plans to sign free agent Kirk Cousins for the Raiders.
The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback wants an opportunity to play in 2025 after being limited to just eight starts. That opportunity could come in Vegas, where he would be an ideal veteran mentor for a rookie QB.
Cousins not only has 14 seasons of NFL experience, but he spent the first three seasons of his career largely as a backup, starting only nine games in that time. Mendoza’s career certainly won’t start off the same way, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn a lot from Cousins early on.
Ultimately, Cousins and the Raiders could be a perfect fit. He gets a chance to play (even if there’s no guarantee he’ll play for long), and they make sure a talented veteran who isn’t afraid to work can help coach their young franchise QB.
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