The preseason is over for the Las Vegas Raiders and Kirk Cousins clearly outplayed rookie first-round pick Fernando Mendoza in those games, but coach Klint Kubiak still stubbornly refuses to name a starting quarterback. The rookie coach is refusing to do what everyone knows he will eventually do: name Cousins the starter for the Sept. 13, 2025, regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins. anyone,” Kubiak told reporters after Thursday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins watches Fernando Mendoza warm up before a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium on Aug. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Getty Images)KIRK COUSINS JOINS THE RAIDERS TO KEEP THE SEAT WARM FOR FERNANDO MENDOZA Alright then. We know Kubiak is playing some kind of motivational mental game because last week he told everyone that he just doesn’t want any player who is comfortable with his status on the team. And that includes the quarterbacks. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass during a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, on Aug. 13, 2026. (IMAGES IMAGES via Reuters Connect) RAIDERS ROOKIE FERNANDO MENDOZA THANKS GOD FOR AN NFL DEBUT THAT COMPARES FAVORABLY TO ‘MR BRADY’ He also said that Mendoza could benefit from three more preseason games that sound like through a megaphone that Cousins is the man. On Thursday night, Cousins completed 8 of his 11 passes in limited action in the first quarter. That means Cousins had a passer rating of . 110.2 in the preseason and the team announced that it is the best mark by a Raiders quarterback since 2017 for anyone with a minimum of 17 attempts Translation: Cousins missed Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is hit by Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Thursday. August 20, 2026 in Houston (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) “Kirk looks great, he looks ruthlessly efficient,” said RAIDERS FRANCHISE THAT ONCE EMBRACED AN OUTLAW IMAGE NOW HAS NO TURDS, COACH KLINT KUBIAK SAYS Mendoza hasn’t looked that way in the last two games. He threw an interception last week and another on Thursday night and completed 5 of 9 attempts to be just above the 50 percent completion mark for the second week in a row. And unless Kubiak is watching Mendoza dominate in some super-secret practice that no one else in the organization attends, then this is an announcement delayed by, well, who knows what? truth as he offers an evaluation of the first overall pick in the NFL draft. Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak speaks at an introductory press conference at the Intermountain Health Performance Center on February 10, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images) “He needs three more preseason games, all those rookies,” Kubiak said of Mendoza “And now that the season is starting, the practice reps are reduced and so on. “It’s life. But we, as coaches, have to continue preparing him to play, continue developing him.” SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS Once teams begin regular season practices, they give their established starting quarterback the majority of the work in practice so he can be prepared for the games that count. The substitute has limited practice work. And as Kubiak himself said, that’s Mendoza. FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO Armando Salguero is OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer.
