Fernando Mendoza didn’t need a full night to make his point in Las Vegas.
In his first NFL preseason action, the Raiders rookie quarterback stepped in behind presumed veteran bridge starter Kirk Cousins and kept the offense humming in a Week 1 matchup against Arizona. The early returns looked a lot like the version of Mendoza fans saw in college, when he finished his final season as the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and led Indiana to a national championship over Miami.
The Raiders had already seen Cousins put together a long touchdown drive, and Jacoby Brissett answered with a Cardinals TD pass before Mendoza got his turn on the second possession. From there, he settled in quickly and showed why Las Vegas used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft on him.
Mendoza’s stat line told part of the story: 10 completions on 16 attempts for 97 yards, a touchdown, a sack and a 100.3 passer rating. He also ran twice for 6 yards.
His first completion came on his second throw, a third-down conversion to second-year wide receiver Jack Bech on the outside. That was the start of a productive stretch that carried through the first half and into the early fourth quarter, exactly the kind of extended work coach Klint Kubiak hinted Mendoza would get.
What stood out most was how comfortable he looked running the offense. Mendoza worked both from the shotgun and under center, kept a quick release, and showed a solid early command of Kubiak’s system. He handled a range of throws with ease, including a 19-yard play-action strike to rookie sixth-round wide receiver Malik Benson that threaded the ball past three defenders downfield.
The biggest payoff came on the drive that followed. Mendoza helped push the offense forward with a clutch seven-yard run in the red zone, then bounced back after taking a sack inside the Cardinals’ 5 to find Bech two plays later for his first touchdown pass.
He also looked clean with his footwork and stayed steady in the pocket even when pressure showed up. His short and intermediate throws had touch, and he wasn’t shy about attacking the middle of the field.
Still, the NFL pass rush gave him a taste of what’s ahead. Cardinals defensive tackle Walter Nolen got to him once, and Arizona brought some additional heat when Mendoza seemed to press a bit trying to make something happen. That’s part of the learning curve, and it’s also a reminder of why the Raiders don’t want to rush him into the lineup before he’s ready.
Cousins played well before him, so Mendoza may not have changed much in the minds of Kubiak or part-owner Tom Brady. But he did show the kind of promise that makes a front office believe it has its future franchise quarterback.
If this was just the first glimpse, it was an impressive one.
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