Raiders QB coach Mike Sullivan had some words to say after Fernando Mendoza finally got some starter reps due to Kirk Cousins’ scuffle with Maxx Crosby
The Las Vegas Raiders are going to make Fernando Mendoza the starter one day, but it’s still Kirk Cousins’ job despite getting starter reps at training camp.
Fernando Mendoza, the Las Vegas Raiders‘ rookie quarterback, finally ran with the starters during team periods at Saturday’s practice. The opportunity came under unusual circumstances.
Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and starting defensive end Maxx Crosby got into a scuffle during Friday’s practice, and rookie head coach Clint Kubiak sat both of them during Saturday’s team periods as punishment. The decision sent a clear message to the rest of the roster: nobody is above the shield, and nobody is above what the Raiders are about. That opened the door for Mendoza to take snaps with the first-team offense for the first time in training camp.
Mendoza has worked his way up from the bottom
During mandatory minicamp and OTAs, Mendoza actually began his offseason as the third quarterback on the roster behind Cousins and Aidan O’Connell. When training camp arrived, he moved up to the second team. He has quite literally worked his way up from the bottom of the depth chart, and now he’s gotten reps with the ones.
This matters because the Raiders know Mendoza is going to be their franchise quarterback. It might not happen in Week 1, because it feels like Cousins will get the nod to start the season. But Mendoza will eventually be just that. Las Vegas hasn’t had great quarterback luck the last few years, and the organization wants to get this right. They haven’t thrown Mendoza into the fire yet because they want to make sure he’s ready and they want to make sure the team is ready around him.
Getting those reps with the starters was great to see because we finally get a glimpse of what it could look like with Mendoza running this offense. At some point during the 2026 season, he probably will be the starter. It doesn’t feel like Cousins is going to play every single game, all 17 games this year.
From the limited clips available, Mendoza looked solid. But the notable moment came when quarterback coach Mike Sullivan addressed Mendoza’s development after practice. Sullivan was asked what more the coaching staff needs to see from Mendoza for him to consistently get those starter reps.
“Well, I think as much as he has opportunities that are going to put him in realistic situations, and it could be with the threes or the twos or the ones. Also, along those same lines as the defensive players because the speed picks up a little bit. So, I think it’s important that he doesn’t get too far ahead of himself, which a young man like that doesn’t do, and he is locked in on the process and just trying to improve. And so those are the things that we’re looking for to help him take those next steps.”
What Sullivan’s comments tell us about Mendoza’s development
Fans are going to want to know what else there is to work on. The coaching staff keeps saying Mendoza isn’t ready yet. He’s probably not ready because he is a rookie. But why? What is holding him back?
Sullivan is telling you it’s all about precautionary measures. It’s about making sure Mendoza doesn’t get too far ahead of himself. And it’s about making sure that every minute detail of the offense is learned and perfected. The Raiders are being patient and deliberate with his development.
And Mendoza is doing everything right on his end. On Saturday, he was the very last person to leave the field, even after starting with the ones. He stayed after practice to work on things. That’s exactly what you want from your franchise quarterback.
The Raiders have their guy, and he finally got to run with the starters. It wasn’t the way fans would have liked it to happen, because Mendoza was forced into the role by circumstance rather than earning it over Cousins in a competition. But it was reps with the ones nonetheless, and that counts for something as this team builds toward the future.
