'No controversy': Raiders to start Kirk Cousins over Fernando Mendoza vs. Jets

Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Oct 26, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LAS VEGAS — The Fernando Mendoza era is still on pause.

Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said after a fourth consecutive loss Sunday that all options were on the table to turn around the team’s fortunes.

That does not yet include going with the No. 1 overall pick as the starting quarterback, Kubiak announced Monday.

“There is no controversy,” Kubiak said.

Mendoza, who won a national championship and Heisman Trophy at Indiana last season, will not replace Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback when the Raiders play the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Cousins, who leads the NFL with 16 passing touchdowns, will remain the starter after starting the season 3-4.

Mendoza went 6 for 8 for 48 yards in his lone appearance of the season, quarterbacking a late drive in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots.

He did not play in Sunday’s 35-21 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams despite the Raiders being down big much of the day.

Only five of the 29 quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall in the draft’s common era have waited longer than the eighth game of their rookie season to make their first career start.

The last six quarterbacks picked at the top of the draft started Week 1 of their rookie seasons.

Kubiak was asked Sunday when the organization would start looking to the future and consider replacing Cousins with Mendoza. He declined the opportunity to offer an outright endorsement of Cousins as the starter as he has done in the past.

“I think we have to go watch the film, and 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, and personnel, scheme,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got to talk about all of it.”

Cousins said if he didn’t feel he was the best option for the Raiders to win games, he would be the first one to inform the coaches it was time to make a change.

He acknowledged an understanding his job was temporary, however.

“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,” he said. “But I feel that Fernando’s done a great job and has a bright future ahead. I’m going to 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.”

That day has not yet come.

____