Although he hasn't stepped foot in the team facility yet, nor even heard his name called to begin the 2026 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders are setting Fernando Mendoza up for success. In fact, almost every offseason move they made over the past few months has, in a way, been an investment in him.
Whether it was hiring a first-time, offensive-minded head coach in Klint Kubiak to be on the same timeline as him, signing Tyler Linderbaum to a record-breaking contract, adding Jalen Nailor as a fun piece or bringing aboard Kirk Cousins to mentor him, Mendoza is clearly front of mind in Las Vegas.
Vibes-wise, Cousins and Mendoza are already similar, and in terms of play style, they're quite alike as well. And although it'll be a competition under center, both Cousins and Mendoza seem to be approaching things the right way.
And Mendoza's recent comments on Cousins prove that they're two peas in a pod.
Las Vegas Raiders' QB duo of Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins is a match made in heaven
During his introductory press conference earlier this month, Cousins made it clear to those in the building, the media and Raider Nation that, while he is trying to be the best quarterback possible, everyone can rest assured that mentoring a potential young quarterback, like Mendoza, is a priority.
The veteran signal-caller had glowing things to say about the Indiana product, and Mendoza finally got to return the favor on Monday. He was a guest on the Up & Adams Show, and host Kay Adams asked Mendoza if he has talked to Cousins. Mendoza, as always, gave a detailed and perfect answer.
"Yeah, I talked to him at (my) Raiders 30 visit," Mendoza explained. "That was cool. He was there in the building. I was able to say hi to him."
Fans know by now, based on what Cousins said himself, that this interaction was more than just an exchange of pleasantries. According to Cousins, the two watched tons of film together that day in the quarterback room and minority owner Tom Brady even poked his head in.
But Mendoza went on to effectively tell Adams about why he and Cousins would be such a great match.
"(Cousins is) someone who has a very similar play style as me. I was able to watch all of his clips from the Minnesota Vikings. Funny enough, when I was at (University of California) Berkeley, I just watched him just to learn from his game, the way that he reads defenses and his footwork," Mendoza noted. "And to be able to have this full circle moment, someone who I've studied to potentially have the opportunity to play with, someone who's a man of God, who's very cerebral, has so much success throughout his entire career would be an absolute blessing. And whatever nuggets he would want to give or and that I would learn, I would take in and emulate in my own game. And hopefully I can be teammates with him. He's not only a great player, he's a great leader of men."
That's a perfect way of looking at things for a young player slated to be the No. 1 pick. Whether it's his self-confidence and selflessness or the feeling that the Raiders have set him up to succeed, it doesn't seem like Mendoza feels the weight of the world on his shoulders like others in his position have.
ESPN's Rich Eisen even asked Mendoza on The Rich Eisen Show later that day about the possibility of sitting behind Cousins out of the gates and how he would feel about that. Tell me if this surprises you: Mendoza had an ideal, selfless, team-first answer.
"I'll sit down. The reason they're the coaching staff is because they make the best decisions and whatever that'll help the team, I'll do," Mendoza told Eisen. "Just because I'm sitting down doesn't mean I'm not going to compete my butt off. I'm going to compete my butt off every single day. Try to prove it because I believe everything should be earned, not given. And so I think that'd be a great opportunity to walk into trying to earn something, but I think it'd be awesome to be able to learn from someone like (Cousins). And although sitting down can be seen as a negative, whatever the coaching staff thinks is best for the organization, I will do with a smile on my face and try to help the team and my teammates as much as possible."
Las Vegas' quarterback room is going to have three players at very different junctures of their career: Cousins, the aging but accomplished veteran looking to end on a high note, Aidan O'Connell, an experienced but still-young signal-caller trying to find his footing, and Mendoza, the franchise guy.
But based on what fans have heard from Cousins and Mendoza, it sounds like this will be a friendly competition between two players who already have similar personality quirks and on-field ability. Now, however, fans can see just how identical they are with how they're approaching this battle.
This is going to be a fun duo to watch, both on and off the field. A high pair doesn't typically get you much at the poker tables in Las Vegas, but it may be enough for the Silver and Black to at least get some of their mojo back and see where the rest of the chips fall.
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