QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Mark Davis: "Absolutely no pressure whatsoever" from me to start Fernando Mendoza
Raiders owner Mark Davis wants young QB Fernando Mendoza to learn from Kirk Cousins before making his debut
Fernando Mendoza
QB · LV · 23 yrs · exp 0 · Indiana
Status
- Game status
- Active
Keep Trade Cut (SF TEP)
From latest snapshot · trend vs ~7d prior when data allows.
Value
5,203
Rank
#56
Pos rank
#15
7d trend
—
Value history (90d)
One snapshot point per calendar day (shown in your timezone).
Latest: Sep 7, 2026 · 5,203
News
Stories linked to this player — newest first.
QB · LV
QB · LV
analyst
Raiders Plan to Start Kirk Cousins as Long as Possible
The Las Vegas Raiders will continue to play quarterback Kirk Cousins "as long as possible," according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While there has been some chatter about the transition plan to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza in recent weeks, it doesn't sound like the Raiders are ready to make a quarterback move. Vegas opened the season 3-0 but now finds itself in the midst of a four-game losing streak. However, Schefter reports that the Raiders don't believe Cousins is responsible for their latest woes. The 38-year-old has impressed to the tune of 1,877 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and just five interceptions this season, although some of those positive statistics did come during garbage time. Still, the veteran quarterback has the team in a decent spot ahead of the midway point of the 2026 season, and we should expect to see him leading the offense for the foreseeable future while Mendoza continues to develop and watch from the sideline
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Raiders have 'no controversy' at QB as Klint Kubiak commits to Kirk Cousins over Fernando Mendoza
Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak commits to Kirk Cousins as starting quarterback over Fernando Mendoza, citing Cousins' high level of play
analyst
Kirk Cousins Remains a Strong Weekly Play
Kirk Cousins remains a strong weekly play despite rumors of Fernando Mendoza's debut
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Klint Kubiak says Kirk Cousins will remain Raiders' QB1 over Fernando Mendoza
Klint Kubiak announces his plans to stick with Kirk Cousins as the starter for Week 8, shutting the door on any quarterback controversy
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Klint Kubiak: Kirk Cousins is our starting quarterback
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak confirms Kirk Cousins as starting quarterback for Week 8 game against Jets
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Raiders considering 'everything' amid losing streak, including potential Fernando Mendoza turn
Las Vegas Raiders considering changes amid losing streak, including potential QB Fernando Mendoza start
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Klint Kubiak on QB change: We're thinking about everything to fix our problems
Raiders coach Kubiak signals openness to a quarterback switch, naming rookie Fernando Mendoza as a potential future starter while noting Kirk Cousins’ performance may be under scrutiny
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Raiders 'thinking about everything' after latest loss, including potentially starting Fernando Mendoza over Kirk Cousins at QB
The Raiders dropped a fourth straight loss on Sunday afternoon, this time to the Los Angeles Rams
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Kirk Cousins: "If I'm not the best option, I don't want to be out there"
As the Raiders were rattling off three straight wins to start the season, the decision to ride with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was looking like the right way to go. Now that the Raiders have lost four in a row, it’s fair to wonder whether the time for rookie first-rounder Fernando Mendoza’s time to play is coming. Cousins was asked about the possibility of being replaced by the first overall pick in the draft after Sunday’s 35-21 loss to the Ras. “It’s really the same every day that it was in March or April,” Cousins told reporters. “I mean, nothing changes in the sense that if I’m not the best option then I don’t want to be out there, either . I want our football team to have the best chance to win games, and if [in] the first OTA if that had become apparent, I would have been the first one to say, ‘Yeah, you can’t play me.’ “So nothing changes, you know, and the organization will do what they feel is best. I feel that, you know, Fernando’s done a great job and has a great future ahead, and I try to go out there and play as well as I possibly can help us win and give him a great example to learn from, until he does go out there eventually.” At some point, however, it’s less about who gives the team the best chance to win and getting Mendoza ready to try to win in 2027. Likewise, the powers-that-be could decide to give the team a spark by making a change — before the losses stack to the point at which a playoff berth is unrealistic — even before Medoza is technically the better performer
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Raiders open door for Fernando Mendoza to replace Kirk Cousins as quarterback
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak suggests considering changes after four straight losses
QB · LV
QB · LV
analyst
Raiders Won't Commit to Kirk Cousins for Week 8
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak fielded questions from the media about the potential of starting rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the near future, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. Asked when he would start thinking about making a change at quarterback, Kubiak said, "I think at this point, we're thinking about everything. How to fix our problems, how to fix our issues in the red zone, in the third quarter. Personnel, scheme, we've got to talk about all of it." The first-year head coach didn't directly offer a timeline for the shift from Kirk Cousins to Mendoza, but he also didn't commit to Cousins starting in Week 8. Cousins led the Raiders to a 3-0 start, but the team has gone 0-4 in four games since then. Mendoza saw a little bit of action in Week 6 during garbage time against the Patriots, completing six of his eight pass attempts for 48 yards. Cousins hasn't looked terrible by any means, racking up 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions through seven games, but a quarterback change might inject life into the team amid a four-game losing streak. The plan all along was for Mendoza to spend around half the season learning behind Cousins, so it feels like a natural transition point could be coming soon. The Raiders will hit the road for a two-game road trip before returning home against the Seahawks on Nov. 15 in Week 10
general
Revisiting Raiders' 2026 NFL Draft: What Vegas is getting out of Fernando Mendoza, what's next
Raiders used No.1 pick on rookie QB Fernando Mendoza, with plans to develop him behind veteran Kirk Cousins and new coach Klint Kubiak. The team also signed center Tyler Linderbaum and has a young receiving corps featuring Tre Tucker and Malik Benson
QB · LV
general
Klint Kubiak: Fernando Mendoza's doing more than what he's asked, putting in extra time
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak lauds backup QB Fernando Mendoza for his work ethic and readiness, noting his extra effort and potential to step in when needed
QB · LV
transaction
FA: Fernando Mendoza added
sleeper-tx-free_agent+11 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Adds: Fernando Mendoza
QB · LV
QB · LV
analyst
Kirk Cousins a Viable Streaming Option vs. Bills
Kirk Cousins has a good opportunity for a comeback against the Bills
general
Cardinals will discuss making Carson Beck active on game day
The Cardinals are 2-15 with Jacoby Brissett as their quarterback in the past two seasons, with a point differential of minus-194. Brissett, though, will remain the starter for the foreseeable future. “When it’s going good, it’s going good , and then it’s a three-and-out machine,” Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur told Arizona Sports. “There’s really nowhere in between right now for us. We got to figure out how to do all the good stuff better.” Brissett has played all 351 snaps this season, staying in the game to the finish even in Sunday’s 45-21 blowout loss to the Lions. It would have seemed a perfect time to play Carson Beck, but the Cardinals have made the rookie quarterback inactive. As such, Beck can play only if both Brissett and Gardner Minshew are injured. The Raiders got rookie Fernando Mendoza some snaps the past two weeks, and LaFleur was asked whether the Cardinals might think about keeping Beck active on game day for that purpose. “You can only have so many people up [on game day]. . . . It’s hard to put three quarterbacks up,” LaFleur said on Arizona Sports. “Right now, Gardner is our backup.” During his media availability, LaFleur said the Caridnals will have conversations on Tuesday about whether to make the third-round pick active against the Rams. “If we think that’s what is best, [then that’s what we’ll do],” LaFleur said, via Darren Urban of the team website
QB · LV
QB · LV
general
Klint Kubiak confirms Kirk Cousins is still Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback despite Fernando Mendoza’s debut
Raiders coach confirms Cousins remains starter after Mendoza’s debut
QB · LV
general
Fernando Mendoza: Good to gain some regular season experience
The first overall pick of the 2026 draft made his regular season debut on Sunday afternoon. Fernando Mendoza replaced Kirk Cousins as the Raiders’ quarterback with Las Vegas losing 45-17 to the Patriots with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Mendoza went 6-of-8 for 48 yards, but couldn’t put any points on the board before failing to convert a fourth down on a three-yard scramble that left Vegas just short of a first down. Head coach Klint Kubiak said the rookie did a good job in his brief appearance, but that there’s no thought of a lasting change at quarterback right now. Sunday’s move was made because Kubiak “just wanted to get him some exposure” to regular season football and Mendoza said he appreciated that chance because it will help prepare him for more meaningful action. “Keep on controlling the controllables,” Mendoza said. “But it is good to have some regular-season snaps to go off, evaluate and get better from. So, if in the future I am called upon, I have at least a little bit of experience rather than none.” The Raiders have lost two straight after a 3-0 start and a long run of losses could increase the likelihood of a lasting change under center. With the Bills, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks are four of their next five opponents, such a change of fortune would appear to be in the cards in Vegas
QB · LV
QB · LV
analyst
Kirk Cousins Still the Raiders' Starting QB
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said on Monday that veteran Kirk Cousins is still the starting quarterback, but if Fernando Mendoza's number is called, "we have confidence in him," according to Levi Edwards of the team's official website. Cousins went 19-for-28 for 243 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 45-17 blowout loss to the New England Patriots and gave way to the first overall pick out of Indiana late in the second half. In Mendoza's first regular-season game action in the NFL, he went 6-for-8 passing for 48 yards and also ran the ball once for three yards. The 38-year-old Cousins did not have a terrible performance by any means in Week 5, and although he is just keeping the seat warm for Mendoza, he has earned a longer leash as Vegas' starter due to the team's 3-2 record to open the 2026 campaign. The Raiders will be looking to avoid a third straight loss in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills in a game in which Cousins could be forced to throw the ball often to keep up with Buffalo's high-octane offense. Cousins has surprisingly been the QB7 overall in fantasy with 1,269 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions through five games
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.