The Las Vegas Raiders have come crashing back down to earth in recent weeks, as they have lost their past four games after beginning the year on a three-game win streak. With the team struggling, calls for head coach Klint Kubiak to bench Kirk Cousins in favor of Fernando Mendoza have begun to grow louder.
Despite that, Kubiak revealed that he is sticking with Cousins as his starter heading into Week 8, citing Cousins’ strong play and the benefit that comes with developing Mendoza behind the scenes. It’s understandable that fans want to see Mendoza in action, but if you ask Raiders legend Rich Gannon, he believes that continuing to ride with Cousins is the right decision.
Rich Gannon Weighs in on Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza Decision
The Raiders made their plan at the quarterback position very clear this offseason. Armed with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza quickly became the obvious selection, but the team didn’t want to immediately hand him the keys to the offense. As a result, Cousins was signed in free agency to come in and be the bridge to Mendoza.
After struggling the past two years with the Atlanta Falcons, expectations weren’t necessarily high for Cousins, but he’s actually been one of the better quarterbacks in the league to this point. Despite getting virtually no help from the team’s rushing attack and passing to a very limited wide receiver corps, Cousins has completed 62.6% of his passes for 1,877 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns.
With the team struggling to win, though, some folks believe it is time to turn things over to Mendoza so that he can get some experience playing in the pros. Kubiak doesn’t think the timing is right, though, and Gannon agrees with him, saying that he doesn’t think Las Vegas’ roster is ready to properly support the rookie shotcaller.
“I stand by Kubiak’s decision, and I believe the Raiders have done the right thing,” Gannon said in an interview with casino.org. “They brought in a veteran quarterback who knows how to run the game. It’s not just whether Fernando Mendoza is ready to play. It’s whether the Raiders are ready to play with a young quarterback. And the answer is no.”
Should the Raiders Start Fernando Mendoza Over Kirk Cousins?
It’d be one thing if the Raiders were losing games because of Cousins, but that isn’t the case. In fact, Cousins has generally been the guy keeping this team in games. Mendoza will get snaps at some point in the future, but Las Vegas really doesn’t have to rush into making that decision until Cousins forces the coaching staff’s hand.
It is worth noting that throwing Mendoza into the fire against the New York Jets (the team’s Week 8 opponent) wouldn’t necessarily be the worst idea, but the Raiders have big plans for the upcoming campaigns. The 2026 season is a reset year for the most part, so while there is obviously a great deal of excitement for Mendoza to take over as the starter, Cousins is likely going to remain under center for at least the next few games.
Raiders Legend Sends Eye-Opening Message on Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza Call