SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The days of young quarterbacks patiently waiting for their turn to take over after they learn the NFL game are mostly a thing of the past.
That's what made the Las Vegas Raiders ' decision to keep No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza on the bench to start the season behind Kirk Cousins a little unusual, even if it was telegraphed from the moment he was picked.
Mendoza is the first quarterback taken No. 1 overall to start his
career on the bench since Baker Mayfield in 2018, with the last six since then earning Week 1 starts. Mayfield came in as a reserve for Cleveland in Week 3 that season and made his first start the following week. When Mendoza does it remains to be seen.
But with Mendoza and No. 13 pick Ty Simpson of the Los Angeles Rams starting the season as reserves, this marks just the second time in the last 19 seasons that no rookie quarterback will start the season opener. It also happened in 2022, when Kenny Pickett was the only QB taken in the first round when he went 20th to Pittsburgh.
Before that, it hadn't happened since 2007 when JaMarcus Russell was drafted first overall by the Raiders. He held out that summer and didn't sign a contract until after the opener. He didn't start that season until the final game.
There were three rookie quarterbacks starting the opener in three of the previous five seasons as teams have become quicker to turn over the reins as the differences between the college and pro games have lessened.
That's been especially true of No. 1 picks for a long time.
Mendoza is the 30th quarterback taken first overall since the start of the common draft era in 1967. Twenty of those QBs started the season opener as rookies and all but one made at least one start in their first year, with only Carson Palmer in 2003 missing out. Palmer didn't play at all that season for Cincinnati before taking over in 2004.
Three others made their first starts early with Tim Couch (Game 2), Mayfield and Alex Smith (Game 5) getting the chance in the opening weeks. Michael Vick made his first start in the eighth game in 2001, while Eli Manning (Game 10), Jared Goff (Game 10), Vinny Testaverde (Game 12) and Russell didn't get the chance until late in their rookie seasons.
The Raiders also will tie a record by having a different head coach and different starting quarterback for the opener in four straight seasons. The streak started in 2023 with coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, followed by Antonio Pierce and Gardner Minshew in 2024, Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in 2025 and now Klint Kubiak and Cousins.
The only other team to do that was the Houston Texans from 2020-23, with coach Bill O'Brien and Deshaun Watson the first year, followed by David Culley and Tyrod Taylor, Lovie Smith and Davis Mills, and DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud.
The 2026 season will start the same way the last season ended seven months ago.
The defending champion Seattle Seahawks will open the season at home on Wednesday night against the New England Patriots in just the third Super Bowl rematch ever in Week 1. The Seahawks won the title with a 29-13 win on Feb. 8 at Levi's Stadium.
The only other times there was a Week 1 Super Bowl rematch came in 2016 when defending champion Denver beat Carolina 21-20 and in the first year of the merger when Minnesota avenged a loss to Kansas City with a 27-10 victory in 1970.
In all, this will be the 12th time the two teams that played in the Super Bowl meet the following season, with the champion having won eight of the previous 11 matchups, including Philadelphia's win over Kansas City in Week 2 last season.
These rematches have become more common since the addition of the 17th game that adds another interconference game between defending division champions. This will be the fourth straight season there's been a Super Bowl rematch. There were none from 1998-2013.
This will be just the second time the NFL starts on a Wednesday. The other came in 2012 when the Dallas Cowboys visited the New York Giants. The game was moved from its usual Thursday spot that year because President Barack Obama was set to speak that night at the Democratic National Convention.
Aaron Rodgers is set to start his 19th straight season opener since taking over the job in Green Bay in 2008. Rodgers will tie Drew Brees for the most consecutive starts in Week 1 when Pittsburgh hosts Atlanta. Brees' streak went from 2002-20.
The only quarterback with more Week 1 starts than Rodgers and Brees was Tom Brady, who had 20. But he missed the start in 2016 when he was serving a suspension for his involvement in Deflategate.
Rodgers will be 42 years and 285 days old on Sunday, making him the second-oldest quarterback to stat a season opener. Brady did it from ages 43 to 45 in 2020-22.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is close behind as he is set to start his 18th straight season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday in Australia.
The Buffalo Bills head into the season as the favorites to win the AFC East but the question is can they go deeper in the playoffs for a change.
Buffalo is one of two teams in NFL history to make the playoffs in seven straight seasons without reaching a Super Bowl. The Houston Oilers also did it from 1987-93.
The Bills lost in the divisional round to Denver last season, marking the fourth time in five years they lost in that round. They also lost to Kansas City in the AFC title game in the 2020 and ‘24 seasons and in the wild-card round in 2019. Buffalo hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since losing four straight trips in the 1990-93 seasons.
There have been 10 other streaks of at least seven straight playoff berths in the Super Bowl era, with only the 1973-80 Los Angeles Rams failing to win a title. They made the Super Bowl in the 1979 season on their seventh straight playoff run, losing to Pittsburgh.
___
Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
