When the Las Vegas Raiders announced that Kirk Cousins would be the team's starting quarterback to begin the 2026 NFL season, it wasn't necessarily unexpected. But Raider Nation didn't have a lot of faith that Cousins could hold off Fernando Mendoza for very long. Boy, were we wrong, and gladly so.
Cousins has been a big contributor to Las Vegas' unexpected 3-1 start, as he's kept the rookie at bay in all four weeks, with the Mendoza Meter staying low. To be honest, putting Mendoza in has been an afterthought for the fanbase, so it surely hasn't even been discussed by the team or coaching staff.
And while fans would still love to see Mendoza play, there is no reason to rock the boat when this Raiders team actually looked playoff-bound for once. Not to mention, Cousins is giving Mendoza a front-row seat to some excellent quarterbacking and professionalism. This bold plan is paying off.
Raiders' Kirk Cousins-Fernando Mendoza plan is going off without a hitch
The whole basis of Mendoza sitting behind Cousins was that the young quarterback could learn from him. And it is undeniably harder to learn from a player who is not performing at a high level or leading the team to wins. Luckily, Cousins is doing both.
As mentioned, the Raiders have won three of their first four contests, and in the loss, Cousins did all that he could to battle a tough Kansas City Chiefs team until the end. The veteran has displayed accuracy, efficiency, resilience, leadership, consistency, escapability and adaptability.
Mendoza needs to see all of that.
Through four weeks, among signal-callers who have played in all four games, Cousins ranks 12th in completion percentage, 11th in yards, tied for first in touchdowns, and tied for the least number of sacks taken. His QBR and passer rating rank 11th and 12th, respectively.
He has been a borderline top-10 quarterback in the first quarter of the season. Nobody saw that coming, but Cousins is doing the job incredibly well and, more importantly for the future of the Silver and Black, showing Mendoza how it is done.
In Week 1, Cousins didn't have his best showing through the air, throwing two interceptions and mustering only 160 yards. But Mendoza watched him play well when it mattered most, tossing three touchdowns in the red zone. And more importantly, he watched Cousins adjust the next week.
After struggling with downfield throws, Cousins found a way to get it going against the Los Angeles Chargers the following weekend. Then, Mendoza watched the veteran make all kinds of difficult throws to get Brock Bowers open. Last week, he watched him dice up the Chiefs for 365 yards.
More than just the stats and the success, though, it is about the process. He is watching Cousins run the offense efficiently and keep everyone on the same page. There haven't been many pre-snap miscues or obvious miscommunications, and they've survived without being able to run the football.
Cousins has protected the ball as well, with two of his interceptions coming on somewhat fluky plays, and he's evaded sacks and protected the ball. These are underrated but critical elements of running an NFL offense, and young players don't always learn to live another down, as Cousins has in 2026.
Examples like the two-minute drill at the end of the first half against Kansas City were perfect for Mendoza to soak in from the sideline. The four-minute drill near the end of the Chiefs game was another great Cousins possession for Mendoza to put in his mental bank.
Getting to converse with Cousins during or after games and spending all week with him when he's playing at this level is so good for the young player that it can't be quantified. More important than anything, Mendoza is watching Cousins lead and win. At the end of the day, that's all you really need.
Could Mendoza do some things in this offense that Cousins can't? Of course. Mendoza's arm is stronger, and he's more mobile and willing to get the job done with his legs and take hits. But Cousins has also proven that he can do a lot of things that Mendoza can't in this offense yet.
But Mendoza is learning from a player who seemingly has Klint Kubiak's system mastered, and he is watching Cousins lead the very same team that he will be leading next season. You couldn't ask for a better start to the plan than what the Raiders are getting from Cousins.
Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith are fans of what Las Vegas is doing
The most recent example of this sort of plan working is when the Chiefs kept rookie Patrick Mahomes on the sideline in favor of veteran Alex Smith. Of course, Mahomes has become one of the best quarterbacks of all time, as a two-time MVP, three-time Super Bowl winner, and three-time SB MVP.
In fact, let's hear from them about what is transpiring in Las Vegas with Mendoza and Cousins. Before Sunday's game, Smith was on ESPN talking about his mentorship with Mahomes and how the dynamic worked between them.
"Could [Mahomes] have played earlier? Of course. ... But I think sitting ensured that when he finally did take the field, he had the best chance at success," Smith said.
Smith went on to talk about Mahomes' insatiable work ethic as he made the often underappreciated transition to the NFL level, stating that Mahomes was always in the building, working on the mental aspect of things. Gee, that sure sounds like Fernando Mendoza. Smith finished with this:
"The value wasn't in me whispering any secrets in the quarterback room. It was really that he got a front-row view to watch me work for an entire year."
Mahomes, of course, was asked about this whole thing after they took down the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. And while I would typically submerge myself in water and cover my ears while Mahomes is talking, what he said about the Mendoza-Cousins play is actually worth listening to or reading:
"It's doing a lot of great things for [Fernando Mendoza]. Kirk's a true pro, a quarterback who knows how to run the court of the room, the team, everything the right way, and he's going to do it the right way. You saw that today," Mahomes said on Sunday. "He's coming off injury, too, he had a bad injury kind of late in his career. For him to get back to where he was before that, and to be able to deal. He started the season off great, so it'll be great for Fernando to learn and just take in. You don't know until you're in the NFL. Hopefully not too much, because it went really well for me and Alex [Smith], hopefully maybe not that much."
Honestly, the end is kind of funny, as much as I hate to admit it. But it's funny because Mahomes is actually somewhat worried about a similar situation happening in Las Vegas, where a talented youngster learns from an experienced veteran and becomes a problem for the rest of the NFL.
Even though Cousins has said that he's not on the Raiders just to mentor Mendoza, it sounds like he isn't opposed to still giving the rookie some nuggets of wisdom in the midst of this crazy season, either.
"I'll even mention to Fernando sometimes; I'll be like, Hey, you see that there? Like, take note, because someday it's going to be you. And you're going to want to make sure you do that and not this, or vice versa," Cousins said post-game.
Given all that we have talked about, it stands to reason that Mendoza, with his immense skill set and incredible work ethic, could climb to the mountaintop for the Silver and Black. He needs to take the field first, obviously, but things are going about as well as they can with him on the sidelines.
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