The Fernando Mendoza era likely would have begun soon, with or without the Las Vegas Raiders trading away Kirk Cousins.

Sources told NFL Network that the Raiders planned to unleash the No. 1 overall draft selection in the next few weeks even if Cousins had not been traded.

If Las Vegas had lost Sunday to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos on Nov. 22, Mendoza would have started on Nov. 29 against the Cleveland Browns.

The Raiders (4-5) always said publicly there was a plan for Mendoza, though they kept it private. This was the plan, especially if two consecutive losses meant the playoffs were an uphill battle.

It's all moot now, with Las Vegas trading Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday for a 2027 third-round draft pick.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Mendoza will have the entire playbook at his disposal, with the the organization believing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner works even more than they thought.

"His teammates know how prepared he is," Kubiak said. "It's not just lip service, but he has shown it on the practice field."

While there undoubtedly will be growing pains, the Raiders are overwhelmingly excited to see their future. They feel like Mendoza is ready, thanks in part to the work he's done with veteran quarterback coach Mike Sullivan.

Prior to each play in practice, Mendoza calls the play for Sullivan away from the group, then goes through his footwork as if he's the quarterback, while Cousins took the first-team reps. It was mental reps, plus, for Mendoza.

During games, Sullivan and Mendoza stand 30 yards away from the play, with Mendoza practicing calling it, making the checks, and then watching how Cousins executed. What the Raiders smartly have is a personal tutor for their prized draft pick, and this has gone on since the spring.

"His command of the offense, his ability to articulate the huddle calls (and) communicate at the line of scrimmage, has improved consistently," Sullivan said. "It's certainly credit to him."

In addition, after each practice, Sullivan and Mendoza break down film of his performance on the scout team, and when there are miscues, he repeats it. Mendoza then studies the opponent's offense that he's been running just to learn.

While Cousins has taken nearly all of the first-team reps, the Raiders have snuck in some reps with the 1s for Mendoza. For instance, if the first team is working on their rushing offense on a Wednesday, Mendoza would get a snap or two just to mix him in. It rarely happened on passing plays, with Cousins taking all of those.

Now it's all Mendoza's turn, as the future is now for Las Vegas.