The Las Vegas Raiders have yet to officially announce Kirk Cousins as their starting QB for Week 1 as the team heads into its final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 27 at Allegiant Stadium.
Mendoza played the entire first half in the Silver and Black’s 22-20 win over the Houston Texans on Aug. 20 at NRG Stadium. The Raiders’ young signal-caller went 8-for-15 on his pass attempts for 86 passing yards, including one interception and one sack.
Despite Cousins not playing and Mendoza going through growing pains, head coach Klint Kubiak isn’t making any decisions yet to avoid letting players get too comfortable.
Nonetheless, former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce spoke to CBS Sports and shared his thoughts on Las Vegas’ QB situation.
“I’m all about competition, and I think they’re in a great situation,” Pierce said in an Aug. 21 video from CBS Sports. “If you have a Kirk Cousins and the No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, as your backup, that’s great options, right? A little different than what I had when I was coaching there at the Raiders.
“But I think for them, I would like to see competition, and I think the team would like to see that position compete at a high level. But I also understand protecting your franchise quarterback for the next amount of years, letting him watch a veteran like Kirk Cousins, learning from him, not throwing him out there in the fire Week 1.”
Raiders Could Turn to Fernando Mendoza Relatively Soon
Although Pierce applauds the Silver and Black for having a QB of Cousins’ caliber to mentor Mendoza, the former head coach does expect the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to see the field relatively soon.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t take long in Las Vegas,” Pierce added. “I’ll say within the first three to four weeks of the season. I think we will [see Mendoza].”
Troy Aikman on Fernando Mendoza’s Showing Against Texans
While Las Vegas has yet to name their starter for Week1, after the preseason win over Houston, ESPN NFL analyst Troy Aikman shared his thoughts on what he saw from Mendoza, even with the mistake that led to the pick-six for the Texans.
“It’s hard to know from here whether he thought the back was going to stay stationary or if he just didn’t anticipate the linebacker being as fast as he is,” Aikman said on the play that led to the pick-six. “Those are the things that he’ll get accustomed to as he gets more and more experienced.
“But I am really impressed with him. As I said in the game, a lot of quarterbacks come into this league and have all this ability, but you just don’t know what kind of leader they are, how important the game is to them, whether they’re going to put in the time or do the little things.
“With him, you check every box and say if he doesn’t have success with his talent and his mindset of wanting to be great, then, which is oftentimes the case, I’d say the organization failed him and didn’t get enough good players around him.”
Antonio Pierce Delivers Strong Words on Raiders QB Situation