The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a new era with Fernando Mendoza expected to join the team. As the No. 1 pick, many are going to want to see him on the field as soon as possible.
However, the Raiders signed quarterback Kirk Cousins as a possible starter in the event that Mendoza needs more time to develop. He has plenty of experience in college, but the jump to the NFL is huge, especially for a young quarterback.
Plus, the Raiders had some major offensive line issues last season, so it’s never good for a young quarterback to be under pressure constantly. Derek Carr knows what it’s like to start as a rookie for a bad Raiders team. He’s hoping that Mendoza doesn’t have to go through the same growing pains and wants to see the team bring him along slowly.
“No matter how Fernando looks, a lot of guys say, ‘You’re the number one overall pick. You’re in (the starting lineup), right?’ And I understand that,” Carr said on “The Rush.” “But as a quarterback, I also understand what’s best for him is to wait.”
Carr Makes Case for Cousins
Cousins is going to be 38 when the season starts and hasn’t been a consistent starter the last couple of years. There was a time when he was an above-average starting quarterback, but he’s getting older now.
However, Carr thinks that Cousins still gives the Raiders the best chance to win and believes it makes more sense for him to start over Mendoza.
“You have not been under center,” Carr said of Mendoza. “You have not seen a rush like this. You played Ohio State? Great. It ain’t the NFL, okay? It’s different. These coverages, these windows, they close quick. Guys will leave their responsibility to go pick a ball off because they know it’s just a clear out and they’re going to pick your ball off. There’s going to be mistakes. There’s going to be (things) that you can’t learn unless you play the game. And if your goal is to win right now, I think Kirk plays and you hope as a team that Kirk plays great. And he’s fantastic, and you can keep Fernando sitting there for a full year.”
Raiders Will Start Best QB
If Cousins is the better player in training camp, then the Raiders will almost certainly start him. If Mendoza looks better, it’s going to be difficult to justify keeping him on the bench.
Cousins understands that he has to beat out Mendoza, so if he doesn’t, he’s not going to start any drama. History has shown that sometimes it can be very good to sit a rookie quarterback for a year. Star quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love all sat behind a veteran before earning the starting job.
The Raiders aren’t going to compete for a Super Bowl this year, so it could even make sense to sit Mendoza even if they feel he’s better than Cousins. If the competition is close, it’s easy to see the Raiders giving Cousins the nod to start the season.
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