The NFL preseason has officially come to an end, and now the same can be said of teams’ 53-man rosters ahead of Week 1, which will get underway with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.
As for the Las Vegas Raiders, the storied franchise will begin its 2026 NFL season on Sept. 13, hosting the Miami Dolphins, with questions still looming about the quarterback position, even though the consensus is that veteran Kirk Cousins will be the starter, while rookie Fernando Mendoza is expected to start his professional career as a backup.
NFL Insider Hints at Fernando Mendoza Starting Sooner Rather Than Later
Despite the consensus being that Cousins will be the starting quarterback for the Raiders right out of the gate, Adam Schefter of ESPN made things a little interesting on Monday, hinting that Mendoza might be the starter under center sooner rather than later while on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Mendoza will start sooner than you think..”
“I still think it’s going to be Kirk [Cousins],” Schefter said. “I’d be surprised if it was anybody else other than Kirk at this point in time. I think that’s the way it’s been trending all along and [Fernando] Mendoza had moments in the preseason. There’s no doubt his time is coming. He’s going to be the starter. He’s going to be the face of the franchise. The question is how soon?
“I was texting with somebody yesterday. They’re like, ‘Sooner than you think.’ I’m like, really? Now, we’ll see. … I think Cousins starts the opener against the Miami Dolphins. … I think they want to go into veteran early in the season when there are some tough games on the schedule.”
Obviously, this needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as Schefter didn’t say where the information comes from, so it could simply be the opinion of someone he knows, but it still makes one wonder whether there’s anything to it.
There’s no question that Mendoza is capable of starting Week 1, but all signs point to the Raiders wanting to be patient with their new face of the franchise, which comes as no surprise, as there’s no reason to rush him out there unless they feel he can win games right away.
Raiders Keep 3 Quarterbacks on 53-Man Roster
Heading into Week 1 against the Dolphins, the Raiders will have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, having resisted the urge to trade Aidan O’Connell and providing additional insurance at the position.
Although backup quarterbacks were flying all over the place with teams trying to cut down their rosters and address areas of need over the weekend, O’Connell wasn’t one of the players sent packing, which is likely the smart move for Las Vegas, with a 38-year-old projected to be the team’s starter and a rookie behind him.
It’ll be interesting to see what the depth chart looks like heading into Week 1 and whether Mendoza is Cousins’ backup or if new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak goes with O’Connell as the backup to start the season.
Adam Schefter Drops Intriguing Hint About Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza