The Las Vegas Raiders have made a big change on offense, as they traded their starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins, back to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. As a result, the Raiders will now be making the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza, their starting quarterback moving forward, which is a move fans have been clamoring for all season long.
Las Vegas is clearly hoping that Mendoza can be its quarterback of the future, and it will now get its first opportunity to see what he is capable of. The Raiders’ handling of Mendoza has been the subject of much discussion throughout the season, but if you ask one anonymous NFL general manager, he believes that the team has made the right move at each step of the way when it comes to the development of their new quarterback.
Anonymous GM Praises Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza Plan
The Raiders had made it clear in the pre-draft process that they were going to draft Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, but the plan never involved starting him right away. Instead, the team signed Cousins in free agency to act as the bridge to Mendoza, but he played well enough that the team didn’t have to force the rookie into action.
Las Vegas took advantage of a great opportunity to land a premium draft asset in exchange for Cousins, and it’s safe to say the front office played its hand perfectly when it comes to this trade. Beyond that, the Raiders can get a first glimpse of what Mendoza is capable of in what figures to be a low-stakes second half of the season.
There’s no tried-and-true formula when it comes to developing quarterbacks in the NFL, but teams have seen success in recent years when giving recent draftees at this position time to develop behind the scenes. Las Vegas could have conceivably held onto Cousins, but according to one anonymous general manager, it managed to strike the perfect balance of getting everything it could from him before turning things over to Mendoza.
“I really like the way they brought him along,” the GM said, per NFL insider Jason La Canfora of Casino Guru. “Cousins was the perfect guy for that offense in the first half of the season, and now you see what Mendoza can do.”
Raiders Ready to See What Fernando Mendoza is Capable of
Things are rarely perfect in the NFL, but it’s tough to say that the Raiders could have handled their unique quarterback situation any better. The team managed to build up Cousins’ value to the point where it was able to get a very good return for him on the trade market, but more importantly, it allowed Mendoza the time needed to get acclimated to the pros.
Right off the bat, Mendoza is going to face a big challenge going up against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and their elite defense, so it is going to be important to manage the expectations he is facing. There will be growing pains, but when all is said and done, Las Vegas is hoping the work Mendoza gets over the remainder of the season will help him turn into the star it clearly believes he is capable of becoming.
Anonymous GM Makes Thoughts Extremely Clear on Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza Plan