Rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza will see significant playing time Thursday when the Las Vegas Raiders face the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener, according to coach Klint Kubiak.
“I look forward to seeing him out there with his teammates. [There] are a lot of guys that we need to evaluate, but he will get plenty of reps,” Kubiak told the media on Tuesday.
Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will take the biggest step yet in his bid to become the Raiders' starting quarterback. Although Las Vegas plans to open the season with veteran Kirk Cousins, a strong preseason could accelerate that timeline.
Like fellow rookie quarterback Carson Beck, who impressed in his preseason debut for the Cardinals last week, Mendoza will look to show that the 2026 quarterback class is ready to make an immediate NFL impact. As the No. 1 overall pick, he'll have the brightest spotlight of them all.
The Raiders signed Cousins to give Mendoza time to develop. But if the rookie looks poised and confident during the preseason, the organization could be forced to reconsider just how long that development period needs to be.
Can Fernando Mendoza speed up the Raiders' timeline?
Mendoza has already flashed his potential during training camp, connecting on touchdown passes to Tre Tucker, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer while working with the first-team offense during Kirk Cousins' absence. Now comes the real test: proving those practice flashes translate to live NFL action.
Cousins' absence created valuable first-team opportunities for Mendoza, and now the rookie has a chance to build on that momentum. If he delivers an impressive preseason debut, the conversation about who should start Week 1 could become much more interesting.
Of course, one preseason game won't immediately make Mendoza the Raiders' starting quarterback. But a standout preseason debut would make it much harder for Las Vegas to stick rigidly to its original plan. If Mendoza continues stacking strong practices with impressive game performances, the timeline for him becoming the Raiders' franchise quarterback could move up much faster than expected.
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