Fernando Mendoza will begin his NFL career on the bench for the Las Vegas Raiders, with Kirk Cousins ahead of the rookie quarterback when the season opens. The No. 1 overall pick and recent national champion is not stepping into the job immediately, even though he arrives as one of the most closely watched young passers in the league.
The decision is drawing attention because it gives Mendoza a clear but delayed path into the lineup. Leigh Steinberg said he would tell the rookie to look at quarterbacks who made their careers by waiting, pointing to Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers as examples of players who sat before they rose into stardom. Mahomes spent a full year behind Alex Smith in Kansas City, played only one game in his rookie season and then became the full-time starter in 2018 on the way to an MVP award.
Rodgers followed a longer route, sitting behind Brett Favre for three seasons before taking over and building a Hall of Fame career that has included four MVP awards, 10 Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl title. Rivers spent two seasons behind Drew Brees before taking over as the starter in his third year and making the Pro Bowl for the first of eight times. Steinberg used those paths to frame Mendoza's benching as development, not dismissal.
That distinction matters for the Raiders because the choice is not only about who starts in September. Steinberg said Mendoza can benefit from watching the game from outside the huddle, especially with a line he does not view as the strongest in the league. He also said the rookie will throw interceptions, run into problems in play calling and discover quickly that the NFL game moves faster than it did in college. For a young quarterback, those are the sorts of lessons that can either come in controlled doses or arrive all at once.
The contrast is that Mendoza is not an ordinary rookie waiting his turn. He is a No. 1 overall pick who just won a national championship, and the Raiders are still choosing to start Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler with a 14-year career. Steinberg said Cousins appears to be a generous mentor, which gives Mendoza a veteran guide while he waits for his chance. What remains unsettled is how long that wait lasts, and whether the Raiders see a benchmark in practice or game readiness before they move him into the lineup.
For now, the answer is simple: Mendoza begins on the sideline, and the Raiders are betting that patience can protect both the player and the team. The next test is not when he was drafted, but when he shows enough in practice and preparation to make the switch unavoidable.
