The Raiders are not rushing to make Kirk Cousins the fallback plan.
For now, Las Vegas appears content to keep the veteran under center and let rookie Fernando Mendoza keep learning on the sideline, even with four straight losses hanging over the team. A Tuesday report made clear the decision is not about doubts over Mendoza’s ability to handle an NFL offense. It’s about the Raiders believing Cousins still gives them the better shot to stay “in the hunt” for a playoff spot.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano laid out the timeline on Wednesday morning, and it sounds like Mendoza’s first regular-season start may still be a ways off. “The Raiders did not have any serious discussions this week about sitting veteran starting QB Kirk Cousins for rookie Fernando Mendoza, whom they think is coming along very well but still isn't as ready as they'd like him to be when they make him their starter,” Graziano wrote.
“The plan all along has been to sit Mendoza as long as possible, and I personally would be surprised to see him start any of the Raiders' next five games at least. They have a bye in Week 13, and I think after that is the earliest they'd start to seriously consider it.
Remember, this isn't just a Klint Kubiak decision. The entire organization, including their very active part-owner Tom Brady, is invested in making sure Mendoza is a success, and Brady has been vocal about his belief that rookie quarterbacks need to develop from the sideline.”
That lines up with what was reported earlier this summer about Brady, described as the alleged “de facto boss when it comes to football matters” for the Raiders and “the voice in the building that is the strongest in terms of” sitting Mendoza for much of the 2026 season. Graziano’s update suggests Brady’s preference could carry through at least the team’s Week 13 bye.
The Raiders would return from that break to host the Los Angeles Chargers, a team that could be reshuffling its roster before the Nov. 10 trade deadline after entering its Week 7 bye at 0-6.
Until then, Cousins remains the starter. Las Vegas, now 3-4, takes its four-game skid to the 2-5 New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
Before any switch happens, the Raiders want the rest of the operation in better shape around Mendoza. The earlier Tuesday report said the team wants “to create the right environment” before handing him the job full-time, and Graziano expanded on that idea.
“They'd like to get their anemic running game going, as only the Packers (59.9) are averaging fewer rushing yards per game (74.7),” Graziano added about the Raiders. “And they need to be better up front in the middle of their defense to keep other teams from putting games away in second halves.
At 3-4, the Raiders are a game and a half out of an AFC playoff spot at this point ahead of this week's cross-country trip to play the struggling Jets. They aren't ready to give up on their season.
And while swapping Mendoza in for Cousins may not constitute a give-up per se, the point here is for the situation to be as good around Mendoza as possible once they make that move. They don't believe they're there yet.”
Whether the Raiders get to that point before Dec. 13 remains to be seen.
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