The Las Vegas Raiders could be preparing for a QB battle to determine who will be their starter in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Kirk Cousins signed with the Silver and Black this offseason, and many expect Las Vegas to take Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
If the Raiders do pick Mendoza, the conversation will shift to who head coach Klint Kubiak will go with. Moreover, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports that Las Vegas made no guarantees to Cousins that he will be starting Week 1.
“Feels to me like Kirk Cousins [will start Week 1],” Rapoport said on the March 13 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “… “I do not believe [Cousins] has been told because there is a chance that they get there and Fernando Mendoza is so good and so intellectually ready, which it sounds like. It is like talking to some of the Raiders people after his visit.
“They were like, ‘We are good. We are good with what we are getting.‘ They are really excited about the intellect, intangibles and character. There is a chance he comes in and they say this guy has to be the starter, and that happens.”
Kirk Cousins Appears Ready for a QB Battle
Moreover, Rapoport hints that Cousins could be ready for a QB battle with the rookie, as he won’t be caught off guard like he was with the Atlanta Falcons when they selected Michael Penix Jr.
“I think Kirk Cousins knows they are going to take Fernando Mendoza. So it is not a situation where it is, ‘How could you do this to me?‘ It is more, ‘All right, take him. We will see what happens.‘ But generally, money talks, so I would expect Cousins to be the starter. How long that lasts, I do not know. He played pretty well by the end of the year, and I think he might still have some years left.”
Skip Bayless Gets Blunt About Raiders QB Situation
Cousins accepted the situation and made it clear to head coach Klint Kubiak that the best player at each position should be on the field.
“If that’s not me, I don’t want to be out there,“ Cousins said on April 8 (h/t Ryan McFadden of ESPN). “I don’t think that’s the best thing for the team. If I am the best option, then I believe it’s important that those guys are out there.
“… But I’m excited to get the chance to lead, help influence in the locker room, do my part and most importantly, help our team win.”
Amid those remarks from Cousins, Skip Bayless shared his thoughts on the Raiders’ QB situation as Cousins has his eyes on the starting job even if Las Vegas takes Mendoza.
“Kirk Cousins, to me, is a shrewd operator and always has been,“ Bayless said in a April 11 video from “The Arena: Gridiron.” “It was a classic humble brag on Kirk’s part because he knows right now he’s probably better than Mendoza is. What he’s saying is he doesn’t want to be a bridge quarterback.”
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