When it became a lock that the Las Vegas Raiders would draft Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that he preferred not to rush a rookie quarterback into action. Then, a viable contingency plan came when Kirk Cousins was signed.
Mendoza will, of course, have an opportunity to show that he deserves to start right away. But it will be in his hands, without all the pressure that typically comes with being the first overall pick and an anointed franchise savior before ever taking a snap.
At this point, the expectation is that Cousins will start at least a few games to begin the season. When Mendoza steps in is up for debate, with no clarity right now. The only certainty seems to be that he will start a notable number of games as a rookie, since there would be little value in a redshirt year.
Going with Cousins as the starter purely by default to start the 2026 NFL season because he's the veteran probably won't happen. But his presence does give Mendoza a runway to learn and not have to start immediately. Herm Edwards, however, doesn't seem to agree with that sentiment.
Former NFL head coach goes all-in on when Fernando Mendoza should start
Former NFL player, head coach, and current ESPN analyst, Herm Edwards, appeared on NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Monday morning. On the topic of "Rookies who will have the biggest impact this year," Edwards went with Mendoza.
"Real simple: Fernando," Edwards said. "He's playing right now."
As co-panelist Jahleel Addae wondered about Mendoza starting over Kirk Cousins with "no marination," Edwards remained steadfast in his opinion.
"Right now, I'm putting him out there. He don't need marination, he needs to go play."
Manti Te'o then wondered if it might hurt Mendoza to play too early, and Edwards took his opinion in a stern, fairly extreme direction.
"Then we picked the wrong guy," Edwards said. "When you pick a quarterback, the first thing you realize: He better be a mentally tough guy. Regardless of if he's playing first year, second year, you gotta be tough to play this position, mentally tough."
Edwards did eventually soften his thoughts a bit, saying, of Mendoza, "if he's ready to play, play him." He did not question Mendoza's mental toughness or his ability to assert himself as the best option to start under center for the Raiders in Week 1, however.
He seemed to be calling on the Raiders' coaching staff to start Mendoza right away if he shows that he's worthy, with the idea that his teammates will notice if he's the best option.
Going with Cousins just because he's the veteran probably won't happen, but Edwards is clearly in the "best way to learn is to play" camp, if everything is equal.
Ultimately, that's what Kubiak and the coaching staff have to navigate: What does Mendoza have to do to show he should start immediately? Even for just a few early games, would Cousins be the better option?
From Edwards' perspective as a former coach, there's not much nuance to the situation if Mendoza is the right guy to lead the franchise for the long haul.
Add us as a preferred source on Google