Fernando Mendoza gets 3-word message from Kirk Cousins after Raiders trade
Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAYTue, November 10, 2026 at 10:36 PM UTC
Fernandomania has officially begun in the desert.
With the Las Vegas Raiders trading quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, Las Vegas is expected to turn to Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the draft earlier this year, under center.
Mendoza is slated to make his first career start against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at home on Sunday, Nov. 15 (4:05 ET).
Mendoza’s lone regular-season action came during his debut, at the end of a Week 4 road loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 11. He finished 6-for-8 passing for 48 yards. General manager John Spytek confirmed that Mendoza will be the team's starter moving forward during a news conference Nov. 10.
"He passed every test," Spytek said. "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."
Spytek said he never made a call shopping Cousins, and that talks with the Vikings started in earnest Tuesday morning after the Vikings' 23-6 drubbing on "Monday Night Football" at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The organization was clear with Cousins upon signing him to what is basically a one-year deal in March that Mendoza is obviously the future of the franchise.
Cousins and Spytek met before the trade was agreed to. While it wasn't an easy conversation, Spytek said, it was productive and the Raiders felt like it was important they showed him respect as a 15-year veteran.
"We’re all kind of staring the future in the face here with Fernando," said Spytek, in his second year as GM of the "Silver and Black."
Spytek added: "We had to basically 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."
Mendoza’s first two opponents boast vaunted defensive units. Seattle’s defense, dubbed the “Dark Side” for a reason, did not allow a touchdown last week to the undermanned Arizona Cardinals. Looking ahead, the Raiders face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 11 then the Cleveland Browns. Denver ranks in the top 10 in points allowed per game (20.7), sacks (26) and takeaways (12).
"Fernando has everything we’ve asked him to do in practice," head coach Klint Kubiak said. "I think he’s exceeded those expectations, and we all know that live bullet Sunday is far different from practice. However, he showed us that he’s ready, not only physically but mentally. He’s up there studying right now like he would any other game. He puts a lot of work in. His teammates know how prepared he is. It’s not just lip service, but he has shown it on the practice field."
Kubiak rattled off the number of ways Cousins influenced Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The examples he offered included working through a progression, recognizing blitzes, taking care of the body and ways to connect with teammates, Kubiak said, "there's a lot more to playing the position than what your coaches tell you in the meeting room."
"I think Kirk embodied all the right things there, how to prepare and how to be a professional, and really, when things aren’t going well, what buttons to push on your teammates and what questions to ask your coaches," Kubiak said. "It’s an endless list of all positive things."
On his Instagram story, Cousins offered a goodbye to “Raider Nation” and a message to Mendoza, whom Cousins tagged in the post.
“Go get em (sic),” Cousins wrote.
"I feel that Fernando has done a great job,” Cousins told reporters Oct. 26. “He has a bright future ahead. I'm going to try and go out there and play as well as I possibly can and try and win and give him a good example to learn from."
Toughening matters for Mendoza on the field will be the lack of a rushing attack for the Raiders. First-round talent Ashton Jeanty from the 2025 draft has not worked out, although rookie Mike Washington has shown some juice in the backfield. Still, Las Vegas ranks 31st in rushing yards per game (71.3) and is last in yards per rush (2.9).
Similar to Cousins, Mendoza will likely have to shoulder much of the output in the Raiders’ offense.
“The game has to be balanced,” Kubiak said following the team’s most recent loss to the San Francisco 49ers that dropped their record to 4-5. “You can’t be a running and throwing team when you're throwing it every time. That's not easy.
“You got to start the game a lot faster. You got to go toe-to-toe in the first half so that the second half isn't a throwing fest.”
The good news is that tight end Brock Bowers ranks ninth in the league in receiving yards and provides a crucial red-zone target with six touchdowns already this season. Wide receiver Tre Tucker emerged as a reliable downfield option for Cousins, which gives Mendoza more relief in the passing game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fernando Mendoza gets 3-word message from Kirk Cousins after Raiders trade
Source: Sports
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