"We knew this day was coming. We didn't know when it was going to be."
That's what Klint Kubiak said about Fernando Mendoza now becoming the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders in the wake of their trading Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings for a third-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
And he's right; this was always Mendoza's team. Even bringing Cousins in was, in a way, about helping Mendoza become the franchise quarterback that he was selected No. 1 overall to be. But that didn't mean that the leadership in Las Vegas was just going to hand the rookie the job. The opposite, in fact.
But it is clear, after listening to Kubiak and John Spytek speak to the press following Tuesday's trade deadline, that Mendoza's development played a central role in Cousins' departure. Not only was dealing Cousins a vote of confidence for Mendoza, but Mendoza is actually the reason it happened.
Let's peek behind the curtain and see what Kubiak and Spytek revealed to the media.
Raiders' Kirk Cousins trade was all about Fernando Mendoza being ready
It all started with having the right mentor in place.
Cousins, despite proclaiming to the world that his job was to play good football and win games, was an incredible asset for Mendoza and aided in the young player's development. The irony is that Cousins did such a good job that he's now a Viking.
When asked if he thought Mendoza sitting on the bench for nine games was a benefit to his growth, Kubiak gave an expected answer:
"I do... I think with the right role model, that will accelerate his growth. And we had the right role model."
That role model abetted Mendoza at every turn, it seems, and more than that, showed him how it was done on the field with strong play. But at the same time, the Raiders couldn't help but notice the progress that Mendoza was making under the tutelage of Cousins and others during the week.
"I see him progress in his accuracy, in his total command of our system, his ability to get in and out of a huddle, operate two-minute drills, situational football," Kubiak said. "His most important piece of production is his ability to throw a football accurately and make good decisions, and I've really seen those two things jump out.
"We all know that live bullets Sunday is far difference from practice, however, he's shown us that he's ready, not only physically, but mentally. ... He puts a lot of work in. His teammates know how prepared he is. It's not just lip service, but he has shown it on the practice field."
Spytek echoed every sentiment that Kubiak did, as the two seem to have a shared language after working together for just under a year. Spytek also said that Mendoza's scout team work, unselfishness, and pure ability to throw the football made him impossible to ignore in practice.
And that's why they were able to make the decision that they did on Tuesday.
But this wasn't a preconceived idea by any means. Spytek told the media that he was not actively shopping Cousins, so much so that they didn't even speak to him before deadline day because "there was nothing to speak about." The Raiders "didn't have any expectation that this was coming."
"We got a lot of calls on a lot of our players," Spytek said. "But we're always going to make the best decision for the Raiders. And that's what we did today. We say no a lot more than we say yes."
The reason that they said yes, though, goes back to what they've watched Mendoza accomplish behind the scenes.
"We (were) all staring the future in the face here with Fernando, and Kirk was very open with that when we got him. We had to decide: Do we want to go forward here over the last eight games, or do we want to take what Minnesota is offering right now? Ultimately, we decided to do that."
Does that mean that the Raiders are giving up on the campaign? In almost any other situation, trading a starting quarterback is like throwing in the towel.
"This is no way to signify that we are punting on the season or looking forward to 2027. That is not the intention of this," Spytek said.
"We have a lot of belief in the team and the guy that's gonna be playing quarterback now."
You and me both, John.
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