Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak didn’t outright name a starting quarterback after Thursday night’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, but he made it pretty clear who it’s going to be.
While the Raiders selected Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the team also added veteran Kirk Cousins to compete for the starting job. While that competition is technically still ongoing, it became apparent on Thursday night that Cousins will be the starter.
During his postgame press conference, Kubiak pointed out that Cousins has been the quarterback taking the reps with the first-team offense during practice, and he hasn’t done anything that would cost him the job.
Kubiak went as far as to say that it was “his job to lose.”
“Kirk’s been getting the reps with the ones. I think he’s had a solid training camp and it’s his job to lose,” Kubiak said via Pro Football Talk.
Cousins completed five of his six passing attempts during Thursday night’s preseason game, including a touchdown pass before he made his way to the bench for the remainder of the game.
Mendoza, meanwhile, played much more extensively in the game – what you would expect from a young quarterback who needs reps before he’s ready to play. While Kubiak was happy with some of the things he saw from Mendoza in the game, he also made it clear that he still has work to do, which is another sign that Cousins will be the team’s starter.
“He led a good scoring drive,” Kubiak said of Mendoza. “As far as getting and out of the huddle, commanding the group, getting the play calls down, I saw the same guy I see in practice. I saw an ascending player who’s got to keep getting better.”
Obviously, the Raiders see Mendoza as their future quarterback – they wouldn’t have drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick if they didn’t. However, it certainly looks like he’s going to be behind Cousins, at least at the start of the season.
The larger question is now whether or not Mendoza will be ready to unseat Cousins throughout the regular season as he continues to grow and develop, or whether Cousins will play well enough to hold onto the starting job throughout the 2026 NFL season.
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