The Las Vegas Raiders will have to decide in the coming months who their starting QB will be by Week 1. All signs point to Kirk Cousins being that guy, but the veteran needs to edge out the No. 1 pick in Fernando Mendoza.
Las Vegas doesn’t appear to want to throw Mendoza out on the field before he is ready, and so they are handling his progress with extreme care. Nonetheless, the question will be whether the Silver and Black stick to Cousins even if the former Indiana Hoosiers star shows he’s better than the veteran.
On the May 20 edition of “The Herd,” former NFL QB Robert Griffin III shared his thoughts on how the Raiders should handle Mendoza.
“We’ve seen it before, even with a guy from my own draft class,” Griffin said. “With Russell Wilson, when the Seattle Seahawks brought in Matt Flynn, they thought he was going to be the starter and the guy. But Russell just outplayed him. I think that’s what you have to look at here with Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins.
“Yes, it’s a hefty price tag to have him there as the backup with that amount of money being paid to him. But if Fernando’s the guy, I believe he’s the one who brings the mentality, bravado, and confidence for the rest of those young guys, like Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, so they can grow together. I’d rather see those guys go out there and play and start to build those bonds than to protect Fernando if he’s ready to roll.”
Kirk Cousins Should Start Only If Fernando Mendoza Isn’t Ready
Moreover, Griffin believes the Raiders shouldn’t protect Mendoza only to avoid him having to suffer losses, given that the player is coming off an undefeated season in his final college football season.
“He’s got the experience, he’s got the right head on his shoulders, and it’s not like, with Kirk Cousins on the roster, they’re just a quarterback away from making the Super Bowl. So if you’re trying to protect Fernando Mendoza from bad scheduling or maybe too many losses on his record too early, and maybe it crushes his confidence, I don’t think that’s the case.
“I think Kirk Cousins is there in case you go through the offseason program, get into training camp and realize Fernando’s just not ready. We’re going to start Kirk. Then, if it doesn’t go well with him, Fernando can come in and be the hero.”
Raiders OC Andrew Janocko Talks Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza has been in the Raiders’ facilities for a couple of weeks now since being drafted in late April. In a May 18 video on the Raiders’ YouTube channel, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko shared his initial thoughts on Mendoza.
“[Mendoza is] a tremendous worker [and] he’s somebody who wants to know the whys behind everything, the story behind everything, not just what we’re calling, but why we’re calling it,” Janocko said.
“He wants to know the building blocks of the footwork, the building blocks of his vision, how he’s going to see it, and how he’s going to articulate it to the offense. He’s really just a sponge who wants to know everything.”
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