The Las Vegas Raiders will have a QB competition to determine their Week 1 starter. Kirk Cousins is the likely favorite, given that he knows the offense new head coach Klint Kubiak is trying to install, which would allow No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza to learn.
Nonetheless, it is an open competition, and if Cousins gets complacent or doesn’t take it seriously, it could allow for Mendoza to win the starting job. Moreover, there’s also the possibility that Mendoza simply outperforms Cousins, and the Raiders can’t ignore it and give the rookie the starting job.
With OTAs and mandatory minicamps approaching, Kubiak spoke with JT the Brick and shared his thoughts on the QB competition.
“I expect the guys to go out and do their job,” Kubiak said in a May 6 video on the Raiders’ YouTube channel. “They always talk about our quarterback competition.
“They’re competing against the defense every day, but Kirk and Aidan [O’Connell] are going to get reps. Fernando is going to get a lot of reps. We’ve got a long way to go until we start playing football in September.”
Raiders HC Klint Kubiak Talks About His QB Room
Moreover, Kubiak spotlighted the traits that Cousins and Aidan O’Connell bring to the QB room, especially the veteran signal-caller, who looks to show that he still has football left in the tank after the Atlanta Falcons cut ties with him.
“Kirk Cousins having his veteran leadership is important,” Kubiak added. “He’s a guy who has run this offense before, but he’s also been in a lot of systems. He can still play, still move, and still throw the football really well.
“He’s done a phenomenal job in these meetings with Aidan. I’ve been really impressed with Aidan being around him. You can see why he’s such an intelligent, professional guy, and I think he’s got a lot of talent to work with as well.”
Kubiak also shared his thoughts on Mendoza, highlighting traits that stood out to him when he saw the QB at his Pro Day as the Raiders eventually selected him with the No. 1 pick.
“I think you could first see it on his film,” Kubiak noted. “Obviously, when you’re winning that many games, he’s doing something right. But to see it up close and how he organized the workout, commanded his teammates, and got them lined up while completing every ball, he obviously had a lot of chemistry with those guys. That was impressive, though it was also expected. That’s what’s demanded at his position.”
Kirk Cousins Expected to Win Starting QB Job
While there’s a chance Mendoza beats out Cousins for the starting job, CBS Sports NFL analyst Nate Burleson doesn’t see that scenario playing out as OTAs and mandatory minicamp approach.
“I think Kirk’s going to have to fumble that opportunity away,“ Burleson said in a May 5 video posted by Sports Illustrated. “[Mendoza is] not going to beat out Kirk Cousins right now.
“Kirk is still a veteran quarterback, and if you look at the money they paid him, he’s going there to play quarterback. You don’t pay a guy that much just to teach a young buck how to throw the ball.”
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