How Raiders' Mendoza Can Use Early Learning Opportunities to Advantage

The Las Vegas Raiders are about to begin a new era against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.

Rookie quarterback and 2026 No. 1 overall draft selection Fernando Mendoza will make his first career start after the Raiders traded veteran Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings for a third-round pick. This beckoning has lit up Raider Nation with excitement ahead of Sunday's matchup against the defending Super Bowl champions.

As Mendoza and the Raiders prepare for a historic moment for the organization, the former college football legend from Indiana shared his growth and development, from the early days of OTAs to as early as last week's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Growth From Spring to Fall

When Mendoza first stepped into the Intermountain Health Performance Center, it was go-time. Working with Cousins, Aidan O'Connell, and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan, all of whom have a significant number of years playing or coaching in the NFL, has allowed Mendoza to gain more confidence as a quarterback at this level, and he feels more developed than he did in the spring, especially working from under center, chemistry with his pass-catchers, and the scheme.

"In the quarterback room, sometimes Coach Sully will reference back to Spring Fernando," Mendoza explained to reporters. "I don’t want to talk about myself in the third person, but it just shows how much improvement there’s been, and I’m a lot more confident as a quarterback, and feel like more developed."

"Whether it’s under center, connecting with teammates, understanding an NFL scheme, there’s so many areas that I’ve improved on, and I look forward to keep on improving because there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Mendoza Raiders — Oct 25, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) practices before the game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With head coach Klint Kubiak, who may be the biggest key to Mendoza's success in Las Vegas, stating that the playbook would not be limited, it doesn't come as a surprise to the first-year quarterback. In fact, the players in the room go by a motto to always stay ready and prepared.

"And that’s something that all three of the quarterbacks, when we were all here, we always, all three of us, prepared like the starter," Mendoza said. "We were all in there doing our routine, doing it together, watching film together, going over the game plan together, tweaking and seeing which adjustments we’d like to make."

For much of the season, Mendoza would be seen on the sideline with his helmet on, almost as if he were ready to hit the field with the starters. However, it's so that he's hearing the calls in real time, taking in critical mental reps by watching Cousins on the field.

The Growing Pains Will Come

Now that Cousins is off to the Vikings, Mendoza has called the reps with O'Connell and Sullivan crucial. Learning what Cousins saw on the field, talking to his coaches, including offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko on the sideline after drives, has allowed Mendoza to digest a lot of information that has allowed him to take critical steps in his mental growth as a quarterback.

"They were great. However, there’s nothing like game experience and game reps because the best vision is when you’re in the pocket rather than adjacent on the sideline, just to process information," Mendoza said. "So, it’s obviously a lot of post-film study, confirm what we saw on the sideline on film, because sometimes the angles could be a little bit different."

Mendoza is about to accomplish a dream come true, and it will be against an inconsistent Super Bowl champion, the Seahawks, in Kubiak's first time playing against his former team since leaving the organization for Las Vegas. There are a lot of emotions that come with making your first NFL start, and Mendoza felt he had great teachers in Cousins and his offensive coaches.

However, even when you have so many great minds around, a young quarterback is still developing, and mistakes will come along the way. Mendoza understands that, first and foremost.

It has been a long time since I've seen a quarterback come into the league with not just a level head but self-awareness and honesty about his progression as a quarterback publicly. In the long run, this could be incredibly helpful for his career as he goes through the ebbs and flows of being a professional passer at this level.

I can't wait to see Mendoza on the field this Sunday. There will be mistakes, but the time is now for the Raiders to see what they have in their top overall draft selection. The show is about to begin.

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