Soccer/Football

Raiders make starting quarterback decision as No 1 pick out firmly in his place

Jul 28, 2026 - 21:45

The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into training camp with Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback.

New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak confirmed the news to reporters just a day before the Raiders begin training camp.

Kirk Cousins 8 of the Las Vegas Raiders practices during an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on June 03, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. — Kubiak has named Cousins QB.1 for the Raiders

“When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback,” Kubiak said.

“He’s the guy. He’s gonna get a ton of reps, and he deserves it. He’s played really good football.”

“It’s important for me to be fair to the players and put the best player out there.”

Kubiak added he wants No.1 pick Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell to ‘push’ Cousins during camp.

The Raiders signed Cousins in April following his release from the Atlanta Facons earlier this offseason.

The four-time Pro Bowler had a tumultuous time in Atlanta, with the Falcons immediately blindsiding him when they drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. just six weeks after signing him.

After being benched for the rookie in 2025, Cousins re-entered the starting lineup after Penix Jr. suffered a torn ACL in Week 11, passing for 1,721 yards and 10 touchdowns to five interceptions, going 5-3.

Across his entire NFL career, Cousins has accumulated 44,700 yards with 298 touchdowns.

This has been the Raiders plan all along, despite Cousins’ unwillingness to accept the ‘mentor/bridge’ label.

Additionally, Kubiak and general manager John Spytek said that they were uncomfortable throwing a rookie straight into the fire.

Fernando Mendoza 15 and Kirk Cousins 8 of the Las Vegas Raiders walk on a field during an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on June 03, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. — Cousins was signed three weeks before the Raiders selected Mendoza

Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Las Vegas Raiders looks to pass during the team's rookie minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on May 02, 2026 — Mendoza will need to have an excellent camp to change Kubiak’s mind

Mendoza is expected to start at some point in his rookie season, but ultimately it depends on how the Raiders do with Cousins under center.

It was the NFL’s worst-kept secret that the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback would be selected No.1 overall to the Raiders.

The Raiders finished the 2025 season with a record of 3-14 as the Geno Smith experiment failed miserably in Las Vegas.

Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while also rushing for 276 yards and seven more scores last season – leading Indiana to it’s first undefeated season in program history.

With this decision, Kubiak is likely seeing how his young hurler can deal with adversity at the beginning of what is promised to be a great NFL career.

By naming Cousins the starter on day one, Kubiak is setting a standard and challenging his prized rookie to earn every snap.

Head coach Klint Kubiak of the Las Vegas Raiders attends a news conference after an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on May 20, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. — Kubiak wants to see how Mendoza responds to the news

How Mendoza responds to this early adversity will say a lot about his readiness for the pros. If his college stats are anything to go off, it won’t be long before the top pick makes his presence impossible to ignore in Las Vegas.

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