- May 21, 2026
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Fernando Mendoza signed his rookie deal last week and that leaves the quarterback with nothing to focus on other than football when the Raiders open training camp this week.
The first overall pick will continue to learn head coach Klint Kubiak's offense while, per a recent report, getting a sprinkling of work with the first team. Kirk Cousins is expected to get the rest of the work with the starters and one of the storylines of Raiders camp will be whether the rookie can push past the veteran to become the team's starter.
During an appearance on the team's Upon Further Review podcast, Mendoza cast that competition as a cooperative effort by saying that they will "be competing with each other, not competing against each other" over the coming weeks.
"Competing with each other [is] pushing each other to be the best quarterback we can possibly be for the Las Vegas Raiders, and to enable [us] to then win as many games as possible," Mendoza said. "Against [is] withholding information, wishing maybe not the best intent on somebody."
The team's upcoming practices will show how open the competition for the top job in Las Vegas will be this summer and Mendoza will have to make the most of his time as a backup if that is how things play out to start his career. He said that "there's just so many different intricacies" to the offense and that he's looking forward to the chance to learn from Cousins, Kubiak and anyone else who has something to offer.
"It's basically all in the palm of my hand and I just need to take advantage of it," Mendoza said.
The Raiders' future is pinned to Mendoza making the most of the chances that come his way and this summer's work is going to be centered on making sure he's as ready as possible whenever they do call his number.
The first overall pick will continue to learn head coach Klint Kubiak's offense while, per a recent report, getting a sprinkling of work with the first team. Kirk Cousins is expected to get the rest of the work with the starters and one of the storylines of Raiders camp will be whether the rookie can push past the veteran to become the team's starter.
During an appearance on the team's Upon Further Review podcast, Mendoza cast that competition as a cooperative effort by saying that they will "be competing with each other, not competing against each other" over the coming weeks.
"Competing with each other [is] pushing each other to be the best quarterback we can possibly be for the Las Vegas Raiders, and to enable [us] to then win as many games as possible," Mendoza said. "Against [is] withholding information, wishing maybe not the best intent on somebody."
The team's upcoming practices will show how open the competition for the top job in Las Vegas will be this summer and Mendoza will have to make the most of his time as a backup if that is how things play out to start his career. He said that "there's just so many different intricacies" to the offense and that he's looking forward to the chance to learn from Cousins, Kubiak and anyone else who has something to offer.
"It's basically all in the palm of my hand and I just need to take advantage of it," Mendoza said.
The Raiders' future is pinned to Mendoza making the most of the chances that come his way and this summer's work is going to be centered on making sure he's as ready as possible whenever they do call his number.