The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Houston Texans in their second preseason game Thursday, but head coach Klint Kubiak still would not say who starts Week 1. When asked about the quarterback competition between Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza, Kubiak kept it short: "We got another week."
He also made clear that no one on the roster is safe from competition. According to Yahoo Sports, Kubiak added, "I don't want anyone to be comfortable in their job."
The Raiders selected Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but reports have suggested the team may start Cousins and bring Mendoza along more slowly. Thursday's game gave some weight to that possibility. The Raiders announced before kickoff that Mendoza would play the entire first half while Cousins rested. Some observers read that as a sign the team was trying to keep Cousins healthy ahead of a likely Week 1 start.
Mendoza's first half did little to quiet that thinking. He completed 8 of 15 pass attempts for 86 yards and did not lead the offense to a single touchdown. His most damaging mistake came early. Mendoza missed Texans rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz shadowing running back Mike Washington Jr. on a route over the middle. Woodaz jumped the pass, returned the interception 80 yards, and put Houston up by a score. Las Vegas trailed 20-3 at halftime, at which point Mendoza was pulled. The team mounted a large second-half comeback to win, but the offense did it without the rookie.
After the game, Kubiak did not soften his assessment of the 22-year-old's performance. He said Mendoza had "plenty to clean up. Plenty to get better at. Plenty that we can do better for him as coaches. Plenty that he can learn from." He stopped short of naming Cousins the Week 1 starter.
The situation did not come without warning. Kubiak had previously said he would prefer not to put Mendoza directly into the starting role. That preference is likely part of why the Raiders signed Cousins before the draft, and why Cousins was willing to sign knowing the team planned to take a quarterback first overall. The arrangement gave both sides a plausible path to playing time.
The Raiders have one more preseason game before Kubiak must commit to a starter. It remains unclear whether Cousins or Mendoza will appear in that final contest. If the decision goes to Cousins, Mendoza would still be considered the franchise's long-term answer at the position. The Raiders drafted him with the expectation that he would eventually take over, and the organization has every reason to move him into that role as soon as he is ready.
For now, Kubiak holds the answer and is not sharing it.
