Raiders name Kirk Cousins starting QB for Week 1 over Fernando Mendoza

LAS VEGAS -- Kirk Cousins will begin the season as the Las Vegas Raiders' starting quarterback over rookie Fernando Mendoza.

Raiders first-year coach Klint Kubiak announced Wednesday that Cousins will start the season opener in Las Vegas against the Miami Dolphins.

Mendoza will be the first quarterback drafted with the first overall pick to not start in Week 1 since Baker Mayfield in 2018. Playing for the Cleveland Browns at the time, Mayfield didn't start until Week 4 after Tyrod Taylor started the first three games that season.

Kubiak didn't comment on whether there's an expectation for Mendoza to play this year.

"[Cousins] played really good football," Kubiak said. "I'm happy with all three of our quarterbacks. Kirk's had a really good offseason, very [training] camp and he's earned it."

Cousins will be the ninth player to start at quarterback since the Raiders parted ways with Derek Carr near the end of the 2022 season. Cousins and Kubiak will be the franchise's fourth different head coach-quarterback combination in four years.

Kubiak's decision always seemed inevitable. Cousins began training camp as Las Vegas' QB1 and has taken the majority of the starting reps.

On top of that, Cousins' previous experience with Kubiak during their time together with the Minnesota Vikings gives the Raiders a chance to be competitive right away while getting the rest of the team accustomed to the offensive scheme.

Cousins, 38, further solidified his starting position against the San Francisco 49ers in his second start of the preseason, completing 8 of 11 passes for 51 yards on two drives. Cousins also threw for 50 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals. He did not play in last week's preseason finale against the Houston Texans.

Throughout training camp, the Raiders noticed progress from Mendoza, who played mostly with the second-team offense. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner received extensive reps with the starters twice during camp.

Mendoza's improvement and comfort in the offense were noticeable at times in three preseason games. He completed 18 of 31 pass attempts for 181 yards, a touchdown and a pick-six. He didn't finish strong against San Francisco, however, completing 7 of 14 passes for 57 yards, an interception and a passer rating of 31.

"[Mendoza's] time is coming, but he's got to earn it every day, and he knows that," Raiders general manager John Spytek said. "I think we're all very pleased with the person and his work ethic and his commitment to being a great quarterback."

The Raiders' plan before Mendoza arrived in Las Vegas was to let him sit and develop before becoming the starter, which is partly why they signed Cousins in April, less than a month after he was released from the Atlanta Falcons.

Cousins started in 22 of 24 games during his two-year stint in Atlanta. Coming off a torn Achilles with the Vikings in 2023, Cousins led the Falcons to a 6-3 start in 2024 before an arm injury hampered his performance. He went on a five-game stretch with nine interceptions before the Falcons benched him in Week 16 of the 2024 season, committing to Michael Penix Jr. as the quarterback of the present and future.

Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions last season. His 47.6 QBR tied him at 22nd in the league with Carolina's Bryce Young.br/]