4 Raiders bold predictions for 2026 NFL season: When does Fernando Mendoza get his shot?

The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to field a strong offense in 2026 with passing game guru Klink Kubiak taking over as head coach and Kirk Cousins inserted as the team’s starting quarterback alongside rookie number one pick Fernando Mendoza at the backup spot.

The Raiders added a former 49ers wide receiver recently in hopes of rounding out the passing game. Fellow quarterback Aidan O’Connell is also in the mix for snaps, prompting an ESPN insider to make a novel prediction recently.

Mendoza led Indiana to the national championship last season and is seen as an inevitable 2026 starter on Kubiak’s team.

The Raiders also bring back star tight end Brock Bowers and second year running back Ashton Jeanty adding to hopes of securing a playoff berth this season.

Mendoza’s status as the 38-year-old Cousins’ backup is the foremost question on every Raiders fan’s mind entering the 2026 season. How long will Mendoza have to wait in the wings to take over the starting job?

And will Jeanty take a step forward in Kubiak’s high scoring offensive attack?

Here are four bold predictions for Las Vegas as the 2026 season draws near:

1. Kirk Cousins won’t last past the Raiders’ bye week: 

Cousins is a student of the game of football who keeps his body in tip-top condition, but Mendoza is simply too good to keep off the field.

The Raiders have a long, grueling schedule with their first bye week coming in Week 13, giving the Indiana rookie plenty of time to prepare for his first NFL start.

Cousins is an excellent mentor, leader and caretaker who will help teach Mendoza the ropes and show him an example he can emulate later in the season.

Unfortunately for Cousins’ personal aspirations, fans will begin calling for Mendoza fast unless he channels his inner Tom Brady in the first few weeks of the season and leads the Raiders to significantly more wins than losses.

Cousins’ play dropped off significantly from his time in Minnesota to his last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. If he doesn’t look like a world beater from the opening kickoff, the Mendoza whispers will start getting louder, and lead to a change in leadership, sooner than the experts think.

2. Ashton Jeanty will break 1,000 yards: 

Jeanty has struggled with a sprained ankle leading up to Week 1 which has caused caution among fantasy football players and cast doubt on his season.

The emergence of fourth round pick Mike Washington Jr. has also tempered expectations for the former record setting Boise State Broncos Heisman finalist.

Last season, Jeanty finished with 975 yards in a downtrodden Geno Smith and Aidan O’Connell led offense. The additions of Cousins and Kubiak give the Raiders offense two brilliant offensive minds along with Mendoza, who’s learning but fits in the same boat.

Expect a crisper and more efficient offensive performance from both the Raiders and Jeanty this season, and a much higher yards per carry average than last year’s mark of 3.7.

3. Maxx Crosby will have a banner season:

Star defensive end Maxx Crosby has been listed in trade rumors yet again, this time with the Dallas Cowboys, but I expect the Raiders to keep him and for Crosby to have a banner season in Vegas.

Crosby is loyal to the core and has been hungry to lead the Raiders to the promised land since he arrived on the scene. He finished with ten sacks last season but is capable of adding another four or five to the ledger this season similar to his 2023 totals.

The Raiders’ Pete Carroll experiment was a disaster, but a nice retirement send-off for the football legend.

Now, the Raiders have the right coach in place with Kubiak and are expected to plow forward full speed ahead toward a better season. Former defensive line coach Rob Leonard has been elevated to defensive coordinator and will bring youthful energy to the defense.

Crosby resonates with that kind of energy and will be one of the top Raiders to benefit from the team’s new coaching regime.

4. Mendoza will complete 65% or more of his passes: 

Mendoza is a bright football mind who looks crisp and precise in everything that he does on the football field.

His personality is a good fit alongside Kubiak’s and Cousins which will endear him to his coach and teammate throughout the season. The payoff will be a solid rookie campaign from the former Indiana Hoosiers star and national champion that will give Raiders fans a lot to feel good about heading into 2027.

Mendoza is also a strong runner, a dimension that will force defenses to keep a close eye on him at all times both inside and outside the pocket. I expect to see less designed QB keepers for Mendoza than we saw last season in Bloomington for the sole purpose of protecting his health going forward, but Mendoza still has the shiftiness to run for a few hundred yards.

Mendoza will show why he was the number one overall pick this season, and leave no doubt in the process.

The Raiders got a franchise quarterback, and he’s in a great situation to show what he can do starting mid-season of year one, most likely around Week 8.

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