The start of the new NFL season is right around the corner, and Indiana football fans have plenty of former Hoosiers to watch. Indiana set a program record by having eight players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, and 18 former Hoosiers enter Week 1 on 53-man rosters.
As the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza is garnering plenty of attention as he begins his NFL career. Mendoza is the clear quarterback of the future for the Raiders, but he will have to wait to see time as Las Vegas' QB1.
Fernando Mendoza to start rookie season on the bench
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Mendoza is expected to start his rookie season backing up 14-year veteran Kirk Cousins. The move snaps a steady streak for quarterbacks who were selected No. 1 overall.
Throwing rookie gunslingers into the fire right away has become the new normal in the NFL. Teams have opted to let their rookie QBs learn on the fly, which has produced mixed results. In fact, the last six quarterbacks who were selected No. 1 overall had started in Week 1.
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With that streak going steady over the past several years, fans were curious as to what the Raiders would do with Mendoza. Las Vegas has already begun to build their team around Mendoza, and there's no denying that he will be the QB of the future. But his time will have to wait––for now.
Making Mendoza wait has always been the plan for the Raiders
The move to start Cousins over Mendoza in Week 1 doesn't come as a huge surprise. Shortly after drafted Mendoza with the 1st overall pick, Raiders GM Jon Spytek stated that he wasn't a big fan of starting young QBs right away. That thought process led to the Raiders signing Cousins in the spring.
Entering his age-38 season, Cousins has seen a little bit of everything in his NFL career. He's appeared in 174 games and has thrown for 44,700 yards and 298 touchdowns. His veteran leadership makes him an ideal mentor for Mendoza. So, Hoosier fans shouldn't panic when they see Mendoza on the bench in Week 1. This is all part of the plan for Mendoza's development and transition to the NFL ranks.
While Cousins will get the Week 1 nod, Mendoza is still likely to see playing time at some point this season. It wouldn’t be surprising if he eventually takes over as Las Vegas’ QB1 as the Raiders look to evaluate what he can do at the NFL level.
Mendoza has impressed new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak throughout the offseason, and had some strong showings in the preseason. However, his overall numbers weren't other-worldly. Appearing in all three of Las Vegas' preseason games, Mendoza completed 25 of his 45 pass attempts (55% completion percentage) for 240 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-6. It's not the worst thing in the world for Mendoza to take some more time preparing for his first NFL opportunity. Hoosier fans know he will be ready once his name is called.
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