Raiders HC Klint Kubiak is still telling the fan base what they want to hear, but it’s obvious where things are headed
The Las Vegas Raiders still have their franchise guy in Fernando Mendoza, but Klint Kubiak has to already have decided that Kirk Cousins is the starter.
The Las Vegas Raiders played their second preseason game of the 2026 season, and Fernando Mendoza made his first career start.
Despite Mendoza flashing legitimate starter traits, the quarterback battle between the rookie and veteran Kirk Cousins remains officially unresolved. Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak made that abundantly clear after Thursday night’s game against the Houston Texans. Kubiak’s postgame comments carried weight. When asked about the quarterback situation, he kept his cards close: “We got another week. I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job.”
Kubiak’s words don’t match the evidence
Reporters naturally asked whether Cousins sitting out entirely meant he had already secured the starting job. Kubiak wouldn’t confirm that. But the optics tell a different story. Cousins didn’t take a single snap Thursday night. Not one. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud suited up and got work in for Houston. When the opposing starting quarterback is out there getting reps, and your veteran isn’t, that says something.
Why wouldn’t you give Cousins at least a scripted drive to open the game, or let him start the second half and get one series in? Aidan O’Connell still could have done what he did late in the game, where he made some big plays to close things out and secure the win. To me, this says Cousins is the guy. The Raiders feel confident in him as the Week 1 starter. The question with Mendoza isn’t if he will start. It’s when.
Mendoza showed real starting-caliber flashes
Mendoza didn’t have a perfect game, but there were moments where you looked at him and thought, that’s a starting quarterback in the NFL. There were a few moments where he looked like a rookie. His poise in the pocket stood out, especially considering the pass protection was weak for much of the night.
The third-down conversion to wide receiver Jalen Nailor was a veteran-level read. And the deep shot to Malik Benson on third-and-17 is the kind of play you see from established starters, not first-year quarterbacks still learning the speed of the league. Mendoza showed everything the Raiders could want in terms of his ability to extend plays and find answers when the offense looked stalled.
He did throw an interception, and it was partially on him. You could also put some blame on wide receiver Mike Washington for not sitting on the route. Mendoza took the blame for it after the game, which is exactly what you’d expect from someone with his makeup. That’s just the kind of leader he is.
The bigger picture for Mendoza’s development
The Raiders are clearly taking a methodical approach with their rookie quarterback. Mendoza played Thursday night with only one starter alongside him, and that was Nailor. Judging his performance without the full complement of starters around him requires some context. The mistakes are still there, but as has been said repeatedly throughout camp, he’s not making the same mistakes twice. That’s what you want to see from a young quarterback in this stage of development.
Cousins can still win games for this team. The Raiders brought him in for exactly this kind of bridge role, and everything about Thursday night’s decisions reinforced that plan. Mendoza’s time is coming. It’s just about waiting to see when the world gets to watch him in live NFL action with the starters around him, because Thursday night wasn’t that.
