Kirk Cousins is someone Fernando Mendoza has looked up to for quite some time. In a few days, the two quarterbacks could become teammates on the Raiders as long as Las Vegas sticks to its projected game plan at the NFL draft and selects the reigning Heisman winner first overall.
After being released by the Falcons at the start of the league year, the Raiders scooped Cousins up so he could reunite with his former Vikings offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, who is the new head coach in Las Vegas. The Raiders were in need of a veteran quarterback to join the roster after trading Geno Smith following a disappointing 4–13 2025 season.
