The Las Vegas Raiders could be having a QB battle to determine their Week 1 starter, and the team’s general manager, John Spytek, wants it that way. In the offseason, the Silver and Black signed Kirk Cousins, and many expect the team to draft Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Although the team could take the cautious approach and have the veteran start Week 1, Spytek noted that while that’s the philosophy the Raiders appear to have with Cousins now in the fold, the way they intend to name a starting QB will be based on merit.
“Ultimately, this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play,” Spytek told reporters on April 14. “It’s just really hard to play really well at a young age, but we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently. You know how that goes going forward. Obviously, we added Kirk, we have Aidan [O’Connell], and we’ll see how it goes, but the best man will play.”
Last season with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins posted a 76.0 overall PFF grade, placing him 14th among 43 qualified quarterbacks. His passing grade also landed at 75.0, ranking 14th at the position.
Over 289 dropbacks, he threw for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, producing nine big-time throws while committing five turnover-worthy plays.
Why Las Vegas Could Go With Kirk Cousins in Week 1
Meanwhile, Spytek also spoke about why they feel the need to have a veteran QB out on the field to start the season rather than throwing a rookie signal-caller into a position that they might not be ready for.
“It’s a hard position to play, and there’s a lot to learn beyond just throwing a football and being a good teammate,” Spytek added. “A lot of these guys have lived their entire lives in shotgun. They don’t huddle, so you really have to teach some of them how to run a huddle, break a huddle, get under center, and call a cadence. You see so many of them clapping now, too.
“It’s far beyond just learning a playbook, which in itself is hard enough. When you can be patient, and we all understand there’s not a ton of patience in this job, if you can find some level of it and put people in positions when they’re ready, that’s the best way forward. We all want to see the young guys play and play well, but you don’t want to put anybody out there, regardless of the position, who’s not ready.”
Rich Gannon Gets Blunt About Raiders QB Situation
With Las Vegas now having its veteran that can play in front of Mendoza and mentor him, former Raiders QB Rich Gannon shared his thoughts on the signing.
“I think it makes a lot of sense, and I think you can look into it a number of different ways,” Gannon said in an April 2 video from the New York Post. “He’s going to be the starter in Week 1. I don’t think we need to get that far. I just think bringing in a quality player and person like Kirk Cousins is important.
“He’s got, you know, 14 years of experience; he’s got 167 starts under his belt. He’s thrown for almost 45,000 yards and almost 300 touchdowns [and] he’s played well for a number of different organizations.”
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