After Sunday’s rough outing, the Raiders’ quarterback conversation picked up steam, but a possible switch to Fernando Mendoza may not be happening as fast as some fans would like.
Mendoza did get on the field with the result already decided, and even in limited action he offered a glimpse of why he was the first overall pick in the draft. His release looked quick, and his arm strength stood out in a way that was hard to miss after three quarters of Kirk Cousins.
Still, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter doesn’t expect Las Vegas to rush the move. Asked on his podcast this week whether a quarterback change was close, Carpenter was blunt.
“Based up my knowledge of their mindset. No, because they’re not out of playoff contention yet,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
He then laid out the logic behind that thinking: “I mean, if they lose the next two [games], which I don’t think they’re going to win the next two, that puts them at 3-4 with a chance to go to New York and get a win and be at 4-4… and that means they are squarely in the playoff hunt.”
The larger question hanging over Las Vegas is whether that timeline still holds as the season moves toward the trade deadline. Cousins has been one of the league’s better quarterbacks statistically through the first five games, but the Raiders’ situation is not a normal one.
There’s a growing sense that Mendoza needs to take over before the year ends, and the offense could look different once Klint Kubiak can lean into Mendoza’s mobility and arm strength.
That urgency has also shown up in the fan discussion. Murf of Raiders Fan Radio made the case this week that the change should come sooner rather than later, pointing to the arm issue around Cousins.
“This Kirk Cousins arm thing isn't going away.
Love the guy, but it might need to be Fernando time sooner than later. #RaiderNation”
Another layer here is what happens around the rest of the league. If a top quarterback goes down over the next four weeks, Cousins could become a trade possibility before the November 10 deadline.
Aidan O’Connell didn’t remain this year as a No. 3 quarterback for no reason, and the expectation around the team is that Cousins could be wearing a different uniform within a month.
If that kind of quarterback market opens up, Cousins could be worth a fifth- or sixth-round pick to a playoff-caliber team in need of help.
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The rookies who did get on the field produced a mixed review, which only added to the sense that this was a week of uneven messages from the young core. Some showed enough to encourage the staff moving forward, while others were left trying to recover from moments that swung the game in the Patriots favor, a reminder that for this roster, development and damage can show up on the same afternoon. [Read more 🡒]