Tom Brady’s Las Vegas Raiders finally reveal starting QB after battle between Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins

The Las Vegas Raiders have officially named their starting quarterback just over a week before the 2026 NFL season kicks off.

The Raiders made two new additions to their quarterback room this offseason, selecting Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and adding veteran Kirk Cousins to the roster. 

The pair battled for the starting spot over the past few weeks, sharing snaps throughout the Raiders’ preseason games. 

However, head coach Klint Kubiak has made his final decision, naming Cousins as the starter for Las Vegas’s opening game of the season. 

The Raiders face the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday September 13 with Cousins now set to start under center for the Week 1 matchup. 

Mendoza won a national championship and Heisman Trophy in his lone season at Indiana before being picked first overall by the Raiders in April’s NFL Draft. 

The team signed Cousins earlier that month, giving the former Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons star a one-year, $11.3 million deal.

Notably, Aidan O’Connell also made the Raiders’ 53-man roster, giving Las Vegas three quarterbacks entering the season. 

Last week, Kubiak had balked at the chance to name his QB depth chart, saying all ‘three guys’ are ‘ready to play.’

‘It’s going to be some hard decisions on who’s 1, who’s 2,’ Kubiak said before deciding to keep three quarterbacks to start the year. ‘That’s not a decision we have to make today, but those are discussions that are ongoing.’

Mendoza was viewed as the heir apparent in Sin City, but he endured an up-and-down preseason.

The Heisman Trophy winner completed just 7 of 14 passes for 57 yards in the preseason finale while tossing an interception.

What’s more, Mendoza took two bad sacks in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

‘It’s the NFL, there are monsters on the other side of the ball and you need to get the ball out quick,’ Mendoza said afterwards. ‘It teaches you, you need to play on time, and there’s less margin for error. So I think it’s a great experience having that heat and duress because diamonds are built under pressure.’

Cousins took the vast majority of snaps in training camp, and his workload figures to increase as the Raiders enter the regular season.

O’Connell, meanwhile, completed just 3 of 9 passes for 32 yards, but did not surrender a sack.

More to follow.