Klint Kubiak Gets Brutally Honest on Fernando Mendoza’s Raiders Debut

The Las Vegas Raiders opened their preseason slate with a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. Losing is never fun in the NFL, but all fans cared about was rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza‘s performance under center, and sure enough, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft did not disappoint.

Mendoza took the field for four of Las Vegas’ offensive drives, completing 10 of his 16 pass attempts for 97 yards and a touchdown. Despite that, head coach Klint Kubiak confirmed that Kirk Cousins is still the frontrunner to be the team’s Week 1 starter under center, before offering a short review of Mendoza’s debut with the Raiders.

Klint Kubiak Sends Quick Message on Fernando Mendoza’s Preseason Performance

Mendoza is the future of the quarterback position for the Raiders. He showed off his superstar potential in 2025 with the Indiana Hoosiers, as he threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns in 16 games of action. Not only did Mendoza win the 2025 Heisman Trophy, but he also led Indiana to a National Championship over the Miami Hurricanes.

All offseason long, though, Las Vegas has indicated that it plans to start Cousins over Mendoza, at least to begin the season. The Raiders want to give Mendoza time to develop behind the scenes and become acclimated to life in the NFL, and if that means starting the year as a backup, so be it. However, that doesn’t mean Mendoza’s preseason performance should just be swept under the rug.

Against the Cardinals, Mendoza looked to be in control of the offense from his first snap, and while he made some mistakes, for the most part, he looked like he belonged under center. Kubiak wasn’t all that moved by Mendoza’s performance, though, offering a curt response when asked about the former Hoosiers star.

“I see an ascending player,” Kubiak said of Mendoza after the game. “We just got to keep getting better.”

Raiders Quarterback Room Comes Into Focus After Preseason Opener

GettyHENDERSON, NEVADA – MAY 28: Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza #15 and Kirk Cousins #8 of the Las Vegas Raiders practice during an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The fact that Mendoza managed to string together a solid performance, only for Kubiak to reaffirm that Cousins is in the pole position to be the Week 1 starter, shows how much work he would have to do to overtake him as the team’s starter. There’s no tried-and-true method when it comes to developing a quarterback in the NFL, but Las Vegas has its plan in place, and unless something changes, it is going to follow that plan.

Mendoza is going to continue to have his opportunity to shine in training camp and preseason play, but once Week 1 rolls around, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Cousins is going to be the team’s starter. After suffering a tough defeat against the Cardinals, the Raiders will head back to the practice field and work on getting themselves ready for their second preseason contest against the Houston Texans.

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