The Raiders handed their No. 1 overall pick the ball first. Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner Las Vegas took at the top of the 2026 draft, got the start over veteran Kirk Cousins in Thursday's preseason game against Houston, with plans for Aidan O'Connell to close it out.
It didn't start smooth. Mendoza threw a pick-six in the first quarter, the kind of welcome-to-the-NFL moment every rookie quarterback eventually eats.
The pick-six off Mendoza, returned for a defensive score against Houston.
He settled in from there, finishing the first half 8-for-15 for 86 yards, and Las Vegas ended up escaping with a 22-20 win. O'Connell took over in relief and looked sharp doing it, which only muddies a quarterback room that was already crowded before kickoff.
Aidan O'Connell delivers an accurate throw after replacing Mendoza in the second half.
So naturally, the guy running the show still won't pick a starter. Klint Kubiak told reporters after the win that nobody has locked down the job, and he sounds like he wants it that way. "We got another week. I don't want anyone to be comfortable in their job. It should always be that way for all positions. So, let's keep going," Kubiak said, via @ryanmcfadden_.
Context matters here: Cousins reportedly still has the edge, having taken the bulk of first-team reps in camp on what's essentially a make-or-break, one-year prove-it deal in 2026, with the Falcons covering most of his money and the Raiders on the hook for just $1.3 million this season. That's not a contract built around a coach who's fully sold on him. Mendoza, meanwhile, is the guy the franchise bet its whole draft on, and every rep he takes in these games is an audition for a job that was supposedly Cousins' to lose.
This is now Las Vegas' fourth straight year with a new head coach-quarterback pairing, a stat that says plenty about how unsettled this franchise has been at the position since Derek Carr left town. Kubiak's refusal to commit either way, even after his rookie outplayed the vet's floor in a game the team actually won, suggests this fight rolls into the opener. The Raiders host Miami in Week 1 on September 13, and whoever jogs out first under center will answer the question Kubiak keeps dodging.