The Las Vegas Raiders have officially set their 53-man roster ahead of the Week 1 showdown with the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium, with a few surprises regarding the decisions that were made to finalize the roster.
One of those surprises was the team’s decision to keep three quarterbacks on the roster rather than running with veteran newcomer Kirk Cousins and highly touted rookie Fernando Mendoza to begin the 2026 NFL season.
Raiders GM John Spytek Explains Reasoning Behind Keeping 3 QBs
On Tuesday, during a team press conference following the 53-man roster getting finalized over the weekend, Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke to the media and provided some insight on why the team chose to keep three quarterbacks on the roster moving forward, via team reporter Levi Edwards.
“I think they all earned it. And I don’t think you can have enough good quarterbacks.”
“I think they all earned it,” Spytek said. “And I don’t think you can have enough good quarterbacks.”
Obviously, the real surprise was keeping Aidan O’Connell on the final roster, as the Raiders likely got solid trade offers for his services.
O’Connell played well during the NFL preseason and showed he’s still capable of being a formidable starter or backup. A lot of quarterbacks were traded around the league ahead of the final roster cuts, but Spytek and company felt O’Connell was more valuable as a viable backup, whether that’s directly behind Cousins or as the third quarterback on the depth chart.
With Cousins being 38 and the Raiders likely being patient as they develop Mendoza, it might be the smart move to keep O’Connell as insurance at quarterback.
Along with commenting on keeping three quarterbacks on the roster, Spytek also praised Mendoza’s work ethic and said the No. 1 overall pick will need to earn the right to be the starter down the road, via Edwards.
“He’s a tireless worker, he loves football, he loves his teammates,” Spytek said of Mendoza. … “His time is coming, but he has to earn it.”
Raiders GM Stresses Need for ‘Time’ for Young Team to Develop
As of right now, it’s a little difficult to know what to expect from this revamped Raiders roster, but the safe bet might be that the 2026 campaign could be a bit rough.
Spytek admitted that the Raiders are a young team that will require some patience as it develops heading into the 2026 campaign, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN.
“We have a very young roster, which requires development, and development requires time,” Spytek said.
The 2026 NFL season is likely to be yet another rebuilding year for Las Vegas, or at least that seems to be Spytek’s expectation ahead of Week 1, which seems like the right mindsight heading into a season that could be rough with a lot of growing pains.
However, there’s also a chance everything starts to click early with new head coach Klint Kubiak calling the shots, but it remains to be seen what this team looks like when things get underway on Sept. 13 against the visiting Dolphins.
Raiders’ 3-Quarterback Decision Gets Telling Explanation From John Spytek