The Las Vegas Raiders hope to have their franchise QB in Fernando Mendoza. While all signs point to veteran Kirk Cousins earning the starting job for the 2026 NFL season, the Silver and Black will eventually transition to Mendoza as the starter once he’s ready.
Rather than throwing their rookie QB to the fire, the Raiders are taking the old-school approach and having Mendoza sit and learn from the sidelines behind a reliable veteran like Cousins.
Las Vegas has done a lot wrong, but the front office wants to ensure they don’t ruin Mendoza’s development. Ahead of the signal-caller’s first season in the NFL, former Raiders QB and head coach Tom Flores shared some advice for Mendoza.
“You got a great young coach [Klint Kubiak} and do what they ask and don’t overdue it because the players will want you to,” Flores told Hondo Carpenter of Raiders on SI in a June 29 article. “This is pro football, you aren’t going to make it all fast. Do what you are asked to do, and don’t try to do more.”
Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza Gets High Praise From Tom Flores
Last season for the Indiana Hoosiers, Mendoza played 724 total snaps, leading to an 87.9 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he threw for 2,758 yards and 32 touchdowns against five interceptions while also recording 16 big-time throws and nine turnover-worthy plays.
On the ground, Mendoza added 200 scramble yards and six rushing touchdowns. Flores also noted that he likes the Raiders QB after seeing him play during his time with the Hoosiers.
“Big players in big games make big plays,” Flores added. “The difference between a good player and an average player is that ability to make the big plays, and great players can do it for a long time. The great players make smart decisions. He does it over and over. I said earlier he was smart off it [the field] and that shows on it.”
Furthermore, Flores put a spotlight on Mendoza’s iconic scramble for a touchdown in the national title game against the Miami Hurricanes.
“In the big game [National Championship] on fourth down, coach [Curt Cignetti] made a gutsy call,” Flores said. “Everyone was talking about the run, but how about credit that great coach for the call, but the confidence that he [Mendoza] could do it. What I saw was not what others talked about. Watch as he was going across the [goal] line, he had two hands on the ball.”
Tom Flores on Fernando Mendoza Setting the Example
The Silver and Black want a franchise QB to be a leader on and off the field, as he’ll set the example for his teammates. Flores does not doubt that Mendoza will be able to handle the responsibility of being the face of the Raiders franchise.
“Being a Raider is a matter of loyalty, and when he got here, because he was new, I was impressed when he didn’t try to change his personality, and is fun to be around,” Flores noted. “He needs to not change to what others want him to be, it is his life. I like that he understands loyalty, and I like that he has fun doing that. That doesn’t need to change.”
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