Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was tabbed to make his first NFL start, and his assignment this weekend will be daunting -- the quarterback will face the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions.
The rookie will start in place of Kirk Cousins, who was reunited with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday when Las Vegas traded him before the NFL trade deadline, ESPN reported.
Mendoza, 23, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, led Indiana to its first national title in football last season. He has seen limited action during his debut year in the NFL, completing six of eight passes in a mop-up role during the Raiders’ 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 11.
Raiders general manager John Spytek said that Mendoza “passed every test” and was ready to direct the offense for Las Vegas, which is 4-5 this season.
“It’s something that (Mendoza’s) worked very hard for since the moment he walked into this building,” Spytek said, according to ESPN. “I want to stop short of saying he’s earned it, but he put us in a position where we had to make a really hard decision today, with his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback.”
It will not be easy against Seattle’s defense, nicknamed the “Dark Side,” according to USA Today. The Seahawks (5-4)did not allow a touchdown during their 17-3 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.
Spytek said trading Cousins and installing Mendoza as the starter did not mean the Raiders were giving up on the season and looking ahead to 2027, ESPN reported.
H15 time. Fernando Mendoza has been named starting quarterback. https://t.co/42BFOczZcG
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 10, 2026
“That is not the intention of this,” Spytek told reporters. “We have a big game this week against the defending world champs, and we intend to attack it like we would any week. That’s expected of us.”
Mendoza’s learning curve will get sharper as the season progresses. After Seattle, the Raiders face the Denver Broncos on the road and then travel again to face the Cleveland Browns.
Denver ranks in the top 10 in points allowed per game (20.7), sacks (26) and takeaways (12), according to ESPN.
The Raiders sent Cousins back to Minnesota just before the NFL trade deadline and will receive a 2027 third-round pick from the Vikings, ESPN reported. He played for the Vikings from 2018 to 2023, compiling a 50-37-1 record in 88 starts.
Trade talks between the teams didn’t materialize until Tuesday, Spytek said.
“We (were) all staring the future in the face here with Fernando, and Kirk’s been very open with that, was very open with that when we got him,” Spytek said. “We had to decide: Do we want to go forward here over the last eight games, or do we want to take what Minnesota is offering right now? Ultimately, we decided to do that.”
Cousins, a 15-year veteran, said goodbye to Raiders fans on his Instagram story account. He also sent a message to Mendoza, whom he tagged in his social media post.
“Go get em,” he wrote, according to USA Today.
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