The Las Vegas Raiders wanted to wait a bit longer to start rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but they wouldn’t have had another chance to trade Kirk Cousins. Immediately after the deal to send Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings, there was speculation that maybe Aidan O’Connell would start until the Raiders got past the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos defenses, but they quickly announced that Mendoza is the starter for the rest of the season.
O’Connell would’ve undoubtedly loved a chance to play, but now he’s at least elevated to the backup role. He knows exactly what it’s like to take over for a veteran quarterback in the second half of a season.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, during Mendoza’s first practice as the starter, the rookie had an interaction with star tight end Brock Bowers that stood out. Despite completing a pass to Bowers, he thought something was off with his route and took the tight end to the side to discuss. Having the confidence to do that really impressed O’Connell.
“As a rookie especially, when you’re playing with great players like Brock who’ve done it before, it’s hard to go over there and say something,” O’Connell said. “I think that was a big lesson for him, a growing point for him and it was cool to see.”
Raiders Have Been Wanting to Play Mendoza
Cousins was playing well for the Raiders, so it was easy to keep him as the starter. However, there’s little doubt the team always wanted to play him eventually. According to punter AJ Cole, the Raiders are confident that the rookie is ready to play.
“They were always going to play him, whether that was one game or 10 games,” Cole said. “They wanted to see him play. And I really, truly believe they wouldn’t have made this decision if they didn’t feel he was ready.”
Cole thinks the Raiders have set Mendoza up for success.
“I think that it’s an opportunity for us to take an extended look and for him to get those reps, which are extremely valuable,” Cole said. “But, to go compete at the same time because we do have good players here and we do have a good ecosystem to step into.”
‘It’s Mendoza Time’
There’s already been a ton of excitement about Mendoza, and that’s only going to grow now that he’s playing. He was the first player picked in this year’s draft, but has only played a handful of snaps.
It remains to be seen if the Raiders will be better with him under center than they were with Cousins, but the offense will at least have a younger and more athletic quarterback to utilize.
Veterans on the team could easily be upset about trading the veteran quarterback who was playing well, but the Raiders players sound excited, especially linebacker Nakobe Dean.
“When the organization uses a No. 1 pick to draft a quarterback, you would think that their future is looked upon to be him,” Dean said. “So, (expletive), it’s Mendoza Time. Let’s go.”
Aidan O’Connell Reacts to Fernando Mendoza Getting Raiders Starting Job