Raiders’ Klint Kubiak shuts down Kirk Cousins-Fernando Mendoza narrative

Fernando Mendoza will go through a lot of growing pains in his rookie year for the Las Vegas Raiders. Transitioning from college to the NFL is never easy, no matter the amount of talent a newcomer has.

Mendoza is being a sponge in their OTAs, absorbing as much information as he can to help him understand better the nuances and intricacies of the league, especially since he will be pressured to perform as the No. 1 pick. Staying even-keeled is imperative for the young quarterback.

Luckily for him, he has someone to guide him along the way: Kirk Cousins. The Raiders signed the veteran signal-caller to a five-year contract worth $172 million in April, just a few days before they drafted Mendoza.

While the 37-year-old Cousins will likely start, many also expect him to show the 22-year-old Mendoza the ropes. Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak, however, does not see it that way.

“I never ask anybody to be a mentor. If you’re on the roster, it’s to play and play really well for the team,” said Kubiak in a report from Dice City Sports’ Robert LaMar.

Like Cousins and Mendoza, Kubiak will enter his first season with the Raiders, and he is already setting a high standard in the quarterback room, which also includes Aidan O’Connell.

“That’s the quarterback’s job, all three of them, to get ready to play and win games at a high level. When everybody’s doing that, they’re pushing each other, it creates competition and the whole roster gets better,” added the 39-year-old coach.

It will be interesting to see how the competition will unfold when the Raiders open their training camp next month.

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