After a storybook collegiate season that included winning the Heisman and a National Championship, everyone wants to know when they will see Fernando Mendoza under center for the Las Vegas Raiders. With Kirk Cousins in the building, the common guess is not early in the 2026 NFL season.
Hall of Famer Warren Moon recently weighed in on the discussion and offered his prediction for when Mendoza will make his first start. In a Monday appearance on the Up & Adams Show, Moon expressed that he feels like it’s a good thing that the rookie quarterback may not be a day-one starter.
The Hall of Famer said Las Vegas should resist throwing the first pick to the wolves until he’s ready to handle everything that comes with it.
As far as when that time will come, Moon says it wouldn’t hurt if the rookie watched from the sidelines all of 2026, but he thinks Mendoza will be in the starting lineup by the halfway point of the season, or a little bit after.
Warren Moon predicts Fernando Mendoza will start for Las Vegas Raiders by second half of 2026 season
Moon believes that Cousins is still a veteran quarterback who can keep the team competitive and win some games, and that will buy the franchise the time they need to keep developing Mendoza in the shadows.
While the legend says it would be a good thing if the rookie could sit the entire season, because that would mean Las Vegas is winning with Cousins, Moon thinks the more likely option is that Mendoza makes his debut near the midpoint of the season.
That would definitely be an outcome everyone could get behind. Raiders’ decision makers, from the front office to the coaching staff, have already talked about the value of young quarterbacks watching from the sideline, so Moon’s prediction would accomplish that.
While Vegas may intend for Mendoza to sit for more than eight or nine games, that would still be more beneficial than running the quarterback out in Week 1.
Additionally, fans are eager to see Mendoza. Even if Cousins is winning games, Mendoza is the future, and fans will be ready to get to the future as soon as possible. Handing the first-overall pick the keys halfway through the season will keep fans from waiting too long.
Ultimately, things will unfold on the field. Mendoza could prove to truly be ready to start Week 1, or Cousins could put together a surprisingly good season and start all year. Everything will be decided between the lines. But Moon's prediction lands perfectly in the middle for Raider Nation.
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