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By Reice Shipley
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Fernando Mendoza era has officially begun for the Las Vegas Raiders following the organization's decision to trade veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings hours before the NFL trade deadline.
While some Raiders fans have naturally been content with the stellar play of Cousins this season, a portion of the fanbase have been patiently awaiting Mendoza's first NFL start, which we now know will come against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
While it's obviously remains to be seen how Mendoza will look in his NFL debut or throughout the remainder of his career, Raiders GM John Spytek believes that Fernando Mendoza has done all of the right things behind the scenes to be ready to be the team's quarterback of the future.
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Speaking with reporters on Tuesday folowing the Cousins trade, Spytek made it clear that a big factor in the decision to trade Cousins was Mendoza "passing every test" the team has put in front of him.
"He passed every test," said Spytek. "I want to stop short of saying he’s earned it but he put us in a position where we had to make a really hard decision today. With his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback. We wanted to acknowledge that."
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It is certainly encouraging for Raiders fans to hear that the decision to trade Cousins, who has largely played great football this season, ranking inside the top-five in passing yards in the NFL this season, was in part because the organization is confident that Mendoza is ready for this opportunity.
That being said, a debut against the Seahawks, who allow the fewest yards in the NFL this season as a defense, certainly isn't the most ideal time to unveil what Mendoza can do.
Regardless, the Raiders will look to fight back into the AFC playoff picture with Mendoza under center on Sunday. If the Raiders are able to come away with what would be an upset win, they would get back to .500 on the season and squarely in the mix for an AFC Wild Card spot.
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