The Las Vegas Raiders, after a promising 3-0 start to the NFL season, are now mired in a four-game losing streak after falling to the Los Angeles Rams last week.
In his first year with the Raiders, 38-year-old, 15-year veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins has started every game for Las Vegas and coach Klint Kubiak insists it will stay that way.
But what about No. 1 overall draft pick — and Heisman Trophy-winning national champion — Fernando Mendoza? Why isn’t he playing against the New York Jets today, and when will he get his first start? Why isn’t Kubiak giving Mendoza a chance? One top NFL insider gave what he says is the answer on Sunday morning.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport laid out the franchise’s stance during Sunday’s NFL GameDay morning segment, where he said the Raiders want to hold off on the rookie for as long as they can.
“The entire Raiders schedule is essentially brutal, but my understanding is they do not want Fernando Mendoza to play anytime soon,” Rapoport said.
“Kirk Cousins has played well — certainly, they do not believe he has been the reason for their losing streak — and the entire plan going into this season was to have Mendoza sit back and learn from Cousins. And it sounds like that has worked,” Rapoport continued.
| LAS VEGAS RAIDERS — 2026 SCHEDULE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WK | Date | Opponent | H/A | Time / Result | TV / W-L |
| 1 | Sun, Sep 13 | Miami Dolphins | Home | W 27-13 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | @ Los Angeles Chargers | Away | W 26-14 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | @ New Orleans Saints | Away | W 35-27 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | Home | L 30-27 | 3-1 |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | @ New England Patriots | Away | L 45-17 | 3-2 |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | Buffalo Bills | Home | L 33-30 | 3-3 |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | Los Angeles Rams | Home | L 35-21 | 3-4 |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ New York Jets | Away | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | @ San Francisco 49ers | Away | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | Seattle Seahawks | Home | 1:05 PM | CBS |
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 | @ Denver Broncos | Away | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 12 | Sun, Nov 29 | @ Cleveland Browns | Away | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| WK 13 — BYE WEEK | |||||
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | Los Angeles Chargers | Home | 1:05 PM | CBS |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | Denver Broncos | Home | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 16 | Sun, Dec 27 | Tennessee Titans | Home | 1:05 PM | FOX |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | @ Arizona Cardinals | Away | 1:05 PM | CBS |
| 18 | TBD — Flex Game | @ Kansas City Chiefs | Away | TBD | TBD |
| All times as shown on source graphic. Home games at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV. Bye in Week 13. Week 18 is a flex game — date and broadcast TBD. | |||||
Fernando Mendoza’s Practice Work and Timeline
“Now, behind the scenes, my understanding is Mendoza is lighting it up, dicing up the defense in practice — all the things you want to see,” Rapoport said.
The rookie’s work with the scout team backs that description, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which has documented his sharp showing as the scout-team quarterback.
“But I would not expect him to play until potentially the Las Vegas Raiders fall out of contention, and the eyeballs then turn to next season,” Rapoport said.
That timeline fits the preseason plan of a developmental runway behind Cousins for the No. 1 overall pick, a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Indiana.
Coach Klint Kubiak has echoed that stance. “There is no controversy,” Kubiak said after the Rams loss.
“Eventually, Fernando is gonna play football. We have a plan. We don’t have a timeline for that. Kirk is playing really well. We’re in the hunt… Fernando is gonna play at some point, OK? It’s not gonna be this week,” Kubiak added in remarks quoted by DAZN.
Kubiak has repeatedly prioritized the next game while developing Mendoza behind the scenes.
Las Vegas Raiders Backup Fernando Mendoza Remains Active
The Raiders’ official Week 8 inactives list shows Mendoza active as the primary backup, with Aidan O’Connell inactive as the emergency third quarterback.
Mendoza would take snaps only if the game unraveled, such as a Cousins injury or late-game garbage time.
His lone regular-season appearance came in Week 5, when Mendoza’s mop-up duty against the Patriots produced six completions in eight attempts for 48 yards in a loss.
He stayed on the bench during the later defeats, even when the Raiders trailed by wide margins.
Cousins has led the NFL in touchdown passes at various points this season, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the plan is to play Cousins “as long as possible,” as reported by Sporting News.
For now, Cousins will try to snap the skid against the Jets while Mendoza watches from the bench.
Why Isn’t Fernando Mendoza Playing for the Raiders Today? Insider Gives Timeline