Rookie error from $172m quarterback Kirk Cousins opens door for actual rookie Fernando Mendoza
Kirk Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, with 44,700 passing yards and 298 touchdowns to his name across a 14-year NFL career to date.
And until Friday, he was the nailed-on Week 1 starter for his new team, the Las Vegas Raiders.
But a rookie error in training camp, from the grizzled veteran who signed a $172 million contract upon arriving in Sin City, has perhaps opened the door for an actual rookie to take his place.
Step forward, Fernando Mendoza.
Las Vegas made the Heisman Trophy winner the No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft, and believe he’s the quarterback who will take their franchise to new heights.
But ever since Mendoza arrived in the NFL, the team has made it clear they have a plan, and won’t throw him into the deep end too early.
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“When we go out to practice, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback,” new head coach Klint Kubiak said last month, as the Raiders opened camp.
“He’s the guy. He’s going to get a ton of reps, and he deserves it because he’s played really good football. But I want Fernando and I want Aidan (O’Connell) to push him.”
As it so happened on Friday, it was star defensive end Maxx Crosby who ended up pushing Cousins.
Tempers flared as Crosby hit his veteran QB twice during the team period.
On the second hit, Cousins got into his teammate’s face, grabbed the All-Pro’s jersey, and the pair exchanged words before it was broken up.
The incident was described as a scuffle, and 24 hours later, both men were held out of practice, and put in a time-out.
“We have very clear expectations about how we want to practice, how you go about our business,” Kubiak said in a statement.
“We violated that yesterday, so we held those guys out. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
And with Cousins sitting out, Mendoza stepped in.
Fernando Mendoza opens door with training camp performance
The rookie took first team reps for the first time in camp on Saturday, and according to ESPN’s Raiders reporter Ryan McFadden, he looked ‘solid’.
“Raiders ninth practice just finished. Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby didn’t participate during the team period. As a result, QB Fernando Mendoza played with the 1s for the first time of camp,” McFadden posted Saturday.
“Overall, Mendoza looked solid with the 1s. He had a couple of off target throws and he had issues with the snap twice.
“He did respond well. Mendoza had one of his best throws of camp during the red zone period. He found Tre Tucker for a TD in the corner of the end zone despite tight coverage from Taron Johnson.
“He also threw a TD pass to (Brock) Bowers during the red zone period.
“Mendoza was impressive during the two-minute period to close out practice. He completed five straight passes to set up a field goal.”
One session, of course, will not be enough to swing the quarterback battle in Mendoza’s favor.
But by losing his head on Friday, Cousins has perhaps accelerated the rookie’s hopes of taking the role.
The overall feeling is that Mendoza is making quick progress, and Coach Kubiak knows he was never going to be perfect heading into Week 1.
“There’s 60-to-80 plays in a game, and there’s going to be ups and downs,” Kubiak said last Monday.
“What quarterback can get the rest of the other 10 players playing at their best? So, that’s what we’re looking for.
“There will never be a perfect game or a perfect practice, but I think he’s doing a good job. I don’t expect him to be perfect right now.”
If Kubiak is ranking practices, the one which saw a fight between Cousins and Crosby will probably sit rock bottom.
Any he sees with Mendoza moving forward might be viewed through rose-tinted glasses.
“Fernando continues to improve, and the thing I think we’re very pleased about is from spring to the start of camp, there were some parts of this game we wanted him to improve upon and he has as we’ve added different layers and dimensions,” QB coach Mike Sullivan added this weekend.
“He’s not repeating mistakes, which is always a good thing. It’s a long process. We’re pleased with how he’s developing.”
Scuffles between teammates, of course, are not uncommon in training camp. Both Cousins and Crosby have now missed a practice session, and Kubiak believes that will be the end of the issue.
The newly-signed veteran will, in all likelihood, still start in Week 1. But Kubiak has made no promises, and expects to turn to Mendoza at some point this season.
“The visual and verbal communication he’s made, certainly the ability to take snaps under center, those are things we’ve seen him improve upon,” Coach Sullivan added of the rookie.
“He’s going to continue to work on and we want him to still want him to be even better. But we’re pleased with where that’s at right now.”
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