The Las Vegas Raiders have been in quarterback purgatory for a few years, but things are looking a lot better now. The team signed Kirk Cousins in free agency, but rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is the headliner.
Over the years, No. 1 pick quarterbacks have been quickly named starters. However, the Raiders’ decision to sign Cousins suggested that they might want to bring Mendoza along slowly.
It’ll be hard to actually do that. Fans, coaches and ownership are going to be eager to see what Mendoza can do. Head coach Klint Kubiak has suggested that he prefers to bring the rookie along slowly.
Former No. 1 pick quarterback David Carr knows what it’s like to be thrust into a situation that isn’t ready to support a rookie. He had some advice for Mendoza and the Raiders on how they should handle his rookie season.
“The hardest part is, Troy Aikman told me this, just be ready when your team is ready,” Carr said on the “Home Grown Podcast.” “Let’s say the Raiders are not ready this year; they are going to be ready soon. So you do not have to go in there and feel like you have to be the guy right away. It is going to be tough not to want to be that guy. … I remember being in training camp, and I felt like I had to make a splash. … Let us give this kid some time.”
Raiders Expected to Sit Mendoza for Now
The Raiders were fortunate to land Cousins, as it now gives them flexibility. If Mendoza is clearly the better option, he’s going to start, but if it’s close, it could make sense to let Cousins start the season.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando spoke to executives around the NFL, and the expectation is that Mendoza isn’t going to play.
“All indications are they are going to make Mendoza sit,” an exec told Sando.
Now, the only reason not to start Mendoza is if he isn’t ready or if the team is so bad that it’s going to set him up for failure. The Raiders have done a lot to upgrade the roster this offseason, so they should be good enough to keep Mendoza upright. It may just come down to how quickly he learns Kubiak’s offense.
Raiders Not Ready to Compete Yet
The Raiders are heading in the right direction. They’ve done a lot of good things this offseason. Kubiak is an exciting young head coach, the team spent big in free agency and added some big-time talent in the draft.
That said, they are likely at least another offseason away before they’ll be able to make some noise in the playoffs.
“I like what they’ve done in terms of creating an environment for their young quarterback,” a different exec told Sando. “They have an uphill battle in that division, but just from a foundational standpoint, they’ve built in a smart way. Kirk Cousins can hold the fort, you turn to your No. 1 pick when he’s ready and then you have a center (Tyler Linderbaum) that should be playing with him for, hopefully, the majority of his career.”
David Carr Has Blunt Advice for Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza