The Raiders made their plan clear long before Fernando Mendoza heard his name called with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft: Klint Kubiak wants the rookie to sit, and that could mean sitting for the whole season.
That idea has already drawn heat, most notably from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who pushed back hard on his podcast earlier this week. Florio’s argument, at least from the way this debate is framed, rests on the belief that Mendoza is already outplaying Kirk Cousins during offseason work.
But the reports around Mendoza paint a more complicated picture. Yes, the former Indiana quarterback has shown the traits you’d want in a franchise centerpiece, and yes, there’s plenty to like about him. Still, he’s also dealing with the normal bumps that come with a rookie making the jump, including learning how to operate from under center instead of living almost entirely in shotgun.
That’s why the Raiders’ approach makes sense from a development standpoint. Letting a young quarterback spend real time on the sideline, studying the process and absorbing the details, has worked before. Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love are the obvious examples.
The comparison isn’t perfect, of course. Mendoza and Mahomes are different kinds of prospects, and Mendoza is described here as the more polished of the two. But college football and the NFL are not the same game, and that gap matters.
So even with the buzz around the No. 1 pick, the safest path for Las Vegas is the one the team appears ready to take: start Cousins to open the 2026 season and let Mendoza keep learning.
In Other News...
Raiders New Staff Is Already Sorting Young Keepers From Cut Candidates
The Raiders new staff is already making early judgments on the young players left over from the previous regime, and the list splits pretty cleanly between keepers and candidates who may not have much runway. With one to three years of NFL experience, Charles Grant, Jack Bech and Donte Thornton Jr. stand out as developmental bets worth time and coaching, while the team is also weighing whether some of the younger depth pieces are worth carrying into a new scheme.
Grant is the most intriguing of the bunch because he still has a path to matter on the offensive line, and Bech looks like the kind of receiver this staff can shape into a useful slot presence. Thornton brings a different kind of upside with his size-speed profile, but the tougher calls are on the other side of the ledger, where the Raiders have to decide whether the fit has already gone stale for players such as Will Putnam, Decamerion Richardson and Greedy Vance as the roster gets reshaped around the new vision. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosby Put The NFL On Blast After Midgame Demand
Maxx Crosby turned a routine uniform issue into a talking point during the Raiders 2025 game against the Eagles, when NFL officials told him his pink cleats did not meet league rules. The edge rusher later said the moment underscored how tightly the NFL polices player style, especially when compared with other leagues that give athletes more room to show personality on the field.
Crosby used the episode to push for a little more freedom from the league office, pointing to the NBAs looser approach to footwear and the NFLs own My Cause My Cleats initiative as examples of what is already possible. For a player who has become one of the Raiders most visible voices, it was another reminder that his influence stretches beyond sacks and pressures, even if the leagues uniform standards still have the final say. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Face One Crucial Backfield Decision Before Training Camp
Training camp is approaching with a new offensive voice in place, and the Raiders have a backfield question worth watching as they settle in under Klint Kubiak. His background with a Super Bowl-winning offense and a productive run game in Seattle gives the team reason to believe the rushing attack can be more efficient, especially if Ashton Jeanty takes a step forward in his second season with help from offensive line coach Rick Dennison.
The bigger issue is whether Las Vegas wants to add another proven runner before camp opens, giving the offense more insurance behind Jeanty and rookie Mike Washington Jr. A veteran addition would change the shape of the depth chart and could make the group more stable if injuries hit, but for now the Raiders are still weighing whether the current mix is enough or whether one more move is needed to round out the room. [Read more 🡒]