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By Madison Williams
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When the Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft back in April, it was expected that the team would start the rookie quarterback at some point this season.
However, the Raiders already planned to start veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to begin the season as they signed him to a five-year deal in free agency. It seemed that Mendoza would learn from Cousins for part or all of the 2026 season before taking over the reins.
That ended up being the case. Cousins started in all nine games for the Raiders so far this season, leading them to a 4-5 record. Then, in a somewhat shocking move, the Raiders traded Cousins to his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, on Tuesday shortly before the NFL trade deadline. He will now start for the Vikings on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
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Mendoza will officially earn his first NFL start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks—not an easy first matchup for him as the team's QB1.
But, this was the time for Mendoza to take over. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler perfectly summed up why the Raiders' decision to trade Cousins and start Mendoza wasn't a "panic move" by any means as the rookie is well-prepared for his big moment.
"They felt like Fernando Mendoza was ready for this opportunity to the point where trading Kirk Cousins wasn’t a panic move. They were emphatic that Mendoza's put in a ton of work dating back into the spring," Fowler said on "The Insiders" on Friday. "... They felt like at this point, maybe Kirk Cousins would've rode this out a little bit longer, start a few more weeks, but they feel like Mendoza does give them a level of athleticism that should spark the offense."
It would be a different conversation if Sunday marked Mendoza's NFL debut, but he already appeared in the Oct. 11 game versus the New England Patriots. He completed 6-of-8 passes for 48 yards in his brief appearance during that game.
At least those first game jitters have hopefully disappeared, although there will obviously be some more nerves popping up for Mendoza on Sunday as he knows all eyes will be on him. But, he learned from one of the most consistent quarterbacks in recent NFL history by shadowing Cousins the past nine weeks. Hopefully that's given him the preparation he needs to prove himself on Sunday.
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