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Fernando Mendoza may be the first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, but the Las Vegas Raiders don’t plan on having him under center in Week 1.
At least, that’s the hope of new head coach Klint Kubiak, who said as much in March.
“You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world,” Kubiak said at the time during the NFL Scouting Combine.
But when might Mendoza make his NFL debut? ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes it could come much later than fans expect, especially given the brutal stretch of games midway through the season.
“I think they’re going to want Kirk Cousins to start the season,” Schefter said on his podcast. “And if you’re going to want to turn to Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, at some point in time, I don’t know if you’re going to want to do it in November when you have to go play four road games.”
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The Raiders’ November schedule begins with the New York Jets on the road, followed by a trip to San Francisco to face the 49ers. Then, it’s a home game at Allegiant Stadium, but against the reigning Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.
Finally, the Raiders have their divisional bout with the Denver Broncos on the road before heading to Cleveland to face the Browns.
“That’s not a great time to have to go to your rookie quarterback if you haven’t gone to him by then. So, we could be seeing Kirk Cousins up until about December 1,” Schefter added.
After the Browns game, the Raiders have their bye week before three straight home games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans, respectively. They end the season on the road with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 and Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.
Mendoza, the national champion and Heisman Trophy winner for the Indiana Hoosiers this past collegiate season, will have a bright spotlight in Las Vegas considering his draft stock and how the franchise believes him to be their quarterback of the future.
But the signing of Cousins, as well as Kubiak’s statement, points to there not necessarily being an open quarterback competition to begin training camp this summer.
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Of course, that could change. But Kubiak is hoping his ideal world, where Cousins starts and Mendoza learns and develops behind a tested veteran quarterback, is the direction now for the Raiders.
Time will surely tell when Mendoza takes over under center, but perhaps Schefter is on to something when looking at the schedule and trying to pinpoint when that NFL debut will come for him.
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