Fernando Mendoza was in the Las Vegas Raiders' locker room Tuesday, Nov. 10 when he learned that quarterback Kirk Cousins had been traded to the Minnesota Vikings hours before the 2026 trade deadline.
In that instant, Mendoza went from backup to starter. The No. 1 overall pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner will face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Nov. 15 for his first career NFL start.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mendoza told reporters Nov. 11, a day after the Raiders received a third-round pick for Cousins.
Mendoza started his college career at Cal but transferred to Indiana in 2025. He lost none of his 16 starts and led Indiana to a national title. The Florida
native repeatedly referenced the "mottos" and "principles" of the Raiders' quarterback room that have prepared him for the next level.
“In the quarterback room, sometimes Coach Sully, he’ll reference back to ‘Spring Fernando,’” Mendoza said, not wanting to talk about himself in the third person.
The point is that “it just shows how much improvement there’s been," Mendoza said, from the early days of OTAs to Week 10, whether it’s receiving snaps under center or connecting with teammates. There is still a lot of work to do, he added.
Head coach Klint Kubiak said he does not expect to categorize Mendoza’s first start as a whirlwind given that he knows the offense and has time to prepare.
Mendoza credited everyone in the building, from the front office to his teammates, with aiding his development. Now it’s his turn to do his part, he said.
“It is a new step,” Mendoza said of starting. “But a whirlwind? I would agree with Coach Kubiak.”
Mental reps on the sidelines with Sullivan, O’Connell, and conversations with Cousins between drives will serve him well, Mendoza said.
However: “There’s nothing like game experience and game reps.”
“This is a new experience. It’s great. It’s against a fantastic opponent. However, I have so much trust in the coaching staff, and the front office and my teammates and the leaders of the team to go out there and best support everybody’s one-eleventh so we can go out there and do the job.”
Fernando Mendoza thanks Kirk Cousins
Everybody knows the kind of person Cousins is, Mendoza said, because of the Netflix "Quarterback" series or other times he's been on camera. But to experience it up close and personal was special, he said.
Asked what he'll miss most about Cousins, Mendoza jokingly replied: "He's gone from the Raiders! He's not gone forever!" He hopes to see Cousins during the offseason and imagines they will talk throughout the season.
Mendoza called Cousins “a great mentor.” His affection for Cousins and his family – he named and thanked Cousins’ wife, Julie, and sons Cooper and Turner – was evident.
“They’ve essentially taken me into their household,” Mendoza said. “They welcomed me with open arms. It would have been really easy for Kirk to, being a veteran quarterback and having proved everything, he had me with open arms and taught me so many things. Film study, how to operate as a starting quarterback, all of these multi-faceted approaches that has made me so successful throughout his career, he has shared with no restrictions and no restraints. So I really appreciated him.”
Cousins offered "a multitude" of lessons to Mendoza during the eight months they spent together. Two will always stick out to Mendoza. One: always doing everything you can to best prepare yourself – and not just for yourself, but for the people around you. Two: always be yourself.
“It was like a nice family away from home … honestly, it was more like Kirk and Aidan giving me tips and tricks, so I’m forever grateful,” Mendoza said of the Raiders' quarterback room – which now has a new leader.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fernando Mendoza thanks Kirk Cousins ahead of 'once-in-a-lifetime' starting chance
