The Miami Dolphins face the Las Vegas Raiders in 11 days as the NFL 2026 regular season kicks off. As they game plan and prepare for the game, Miami now knows who they will be facing as the Raiders’ quarterback – and it really should not come as a surprise even if it does break a trend around the league. According to Raiders’ head coach Klint Kubiak, veteran Kirk Cousins will be the starter while first-overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza will begin the season as the backup.
The Raiders opting to let
Mendoza begin the season on the bench snaps a streak of six-straight quarterbacks selected number one overall to start in Week 1.
Cousins signed a five-year contract with the Raiders in April. Going into his 15th season, Cousins was available on the free agent market after the Atlanta Falcons released him after just two years in a four-year deal they signed with him in 2024. Cousins has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and was a fourth-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2012. Washington also selected quarterback Robert Griffin III that year, selecting him second-overall, and leading to a battle between the two rookies. Cousins eventually surpassed Griffin, taking over the full-time starters job in 2015 after replacing an injured Griffin in 2014.
For his career, Cousins has 44,700 passing yards with 298 touchdowns and 131 interceptions. He has a career completion rate of 66.7 percent and a passer rating of 96.8.
Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and the National Championship last year at Indiana, his only seasons with the Hoosiers. He spent his first three years in college at the University of California. He will now wait for his opportunity to move into the starting position.
For more on the announcement of Cousins as the starter in Las Vegas and for all things Raiders, check out Silver and Black Pride.
