The Las Vegas Raiders endured a terrible 3-14 season in 2025 and earned the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. That pick secured Fernando Mendoza as the team's future franchise quarterback. Mendoza has played one series in seven regular-season games.
The Raiders' 3-0 start made it a no-brainer to stick with their plan to develop Mendoza in the background while Kirk Cousins led the team. A four-game losing streak makes it fair to wonder how far along Mendoza's development is and when the Raiders will play him more.
Head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that Cousins is still the team's quarterback and that, to him, there is no quarterback controversy.
“I want to let you guys know that Kirk [Cousins] is our starting quarterback. There is no controversy there. He’s playing at a very high level, and he’s got to continue to do that for us to win. And we’ve got to keep helping all the areas around him. So, excited for him to go play here against the [New York] Jets,” Kubiak said Monday morning following his team’s fourth straight loss.
Multiple Things Can Be Simultaneously True
Las Vegas has several other problems on both sides of the ball besides the quarterback, but the quarterback is the most critical position on the field. With the obvious issues the Raiders have along their offensive line, leaving Cousins as a sitting duck behind it makes little sense.
Cousins' experience is negated by his own physical deficiencies and those of the offensive line and Las Vegas' group of wide receivers. Cousins' inability to move around in the pocket makes the Raiders' aforementioned deficiencies even worse.
An immobile quarterback behind a shaky offensive line, a questionable group of wide receivers, and no running game is a recipe for disaster. None of those are Cousins' fault.
However, they undeniably have a quarterback, albeit a rookie, who has a skill set to help negate Las Vegas' roster issues on offense. The Raiders just used the No. 1 overall pick in the draft on a quarterback who excels at many of the things Cousins struggles with.
Kubiak is right. There is no quarterback controversy, but there are quarterback facts. Mendoza is more mobile, more accurate, and has more zip on his passes than Cousins does. Cousins only has one thing over Mendoza: experience, and the rookie won't get that on the bench.
It is fair to note that rebuilds and development take time. It is also fair to note that only so much development can happen in practice.
Garbage Time Stats Don't Win Games
Kubiak has correctly noted that Cousins has played some of the best football of any quarterback in the league, which is fair. However, it is also fair to point out that a decent portion of his best stats have come with the Raiders already out of reach of realistically winning a game.
Throwing for a bunch of yards while down double digits in the fourth quarter to Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Matthew Stafford isn't the same as doing so earlier in the game with a realistic chance of winning.
Scoring six, 10, and 13 points through three quarters of four different games, then attempting to rally late in the fourth quarter is not winning football. That's losing football, as their four-game losing streak shows.
By then, the quarterback's stats are irrelevant. Since the offense did nothing for three quarters, the quarterback should put up big numbers with his team down by multiple scores in the fourth quarter.
However, their four-game losing streak, while Cousins has apparently put up great numbers, is confirmation that Cousins' stats do not equate to winning football unless they are playing the likes of the winless Los Angeles Chargers, the 1-5 Miami Dolphins, or the 2-5 New Orleans Saints.
But alas, here we are. Even with Mendoza primed for this very moment, Kubiak believes Cousins is the man for the job. Kubiak is saying the right things, as throwing his starting quarterback under the bus is far from the right answer. That does not change the reality of the situation.
Soon, players in the locker room will begin to second-guess their new coaching staff if not hurting feelings matters more than on-field performance when deciding who starts. No amount of denial can wash away what is painfully apparent.
Deny it all you want. If the Raiders want a better chance of beating the league's best teams this season, it is time for Mendoza. Otherwise, the past four weeks will be what the rest of the season will look like for Las Vegas, and we can all start looking forward to the 2027 NFL Draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google