Is Fernando Mendoza Playing Today? Why Raiders QB Isn’t Doing Anything in Week 1

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza is drawing attention in Week 1, with viewers wondering whether he is playing and why he has yet to see any action.

The Las Vegas Raiders made their most significant draft pick at least since they picked Charles Woodson in 1998, when they used the No. 1 overall pick of 2026 to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

The 22-year-old was coming off a Heisman Trophy season that culminated in the Hoosiers’ first-ever national championship.

Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins could mark Mendoza’s NFL debut. But apparently it won’t. Why not?

Mendoza is not playing today — at least not at kickoff. The Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick is active as the backup quarterback behind Kirk Cousins for Sunday’s Week 1 home game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium, scheduled for a 1:25 p.m. PT kickoff on FOX.

That means Mendoza, wearing No. 15, will be dressed, working through pregame warmups and standing on the sideline with the offense. His first regular-season NFL snap will come only if Cousins cannot finish because of injury, illness or ejection. Aidan O’Connell is inactive but available as the emergency third quarterback. Under NFL rules, he could enter only if both Cousins and Mendoza were unavailable. O’Connell will serve as emergency QB3 against Miami.

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Why Kirk Cousins Starts

Coach Klint Kubiak made the decision early this month, naming Cousins the starter for the opener rather than putting Mendoza immediately into the lineup. The choice made Mendoza the first quarterback drafted No. 1 overall not to start Week 1 since Baker Mayfield in 2018. Kubiak officially chose Cousins over Mendoza after a summer-long competition.

The Raiders signed Cousins to be the experienced option while Mendoza develops, and the rookie’s preseason supplied both encouragement and reminders of the adjustment ahead. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in his preseason debut against Arizona, then went 8 of 15 for 86 yards against Houston, including a pick-6. His final preseason appearance against San Francisco came with limited production while working largely alongside starters.

Mendoza has not treated the arrangement as a problem. “It feels great,” he said of beginning his NFL career with the Raiders. “I am all for whatever the team wants. … I’m all in.”

For today, the assignment is simply to prepare as if he will play, support Cousins and be ready if the game changes in a hurry.

From Lightly Recruited to No. 1 Draft Pick

Mendoza arrived in Las Vegas after one of college football’s sharper ascents. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound quarterback spent three seasons at California before transferring to Indiana for 2025, where he led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record and their first national championship.

At Indiana, Mendoza completed 273 of 379 passes — 72.0 percent — for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy, the Davey O’Brien Award and the national-title game’s offensive MVP award. Across Cal and Indiana, he appeared in 36 games, completed 691 of 1,008 passes for 8,247 yards and threw 71 touchdown passes against 22 interceptions.

A Miami native born Oct. 1, 2003, Mendoza attended Christopher Columbus High School after transferring from Belen Jesuit. He was a lightly recruited prospect who initially committed to Yale before California offered him a Power-conference opportunity. His path began as a two-star recruit before the Raiders selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in April.

Sunday will not serve as Mendoza’s NFL debut unless Cousins exits. But he is active and available.