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Raiders QB options: Who could Las Vegas pair with Fernando Mendoza?
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- Raiders QB options: Who could Las Vegas pair with Fernando Mendoza?
The Las Vegas Raiders are seemingly set to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft .
That doesn't necessarily mean Las Vegas will be looking to start the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Week 1.
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"I think in a perfect world, he's watching a mature adult go and run an offense and run the team," first-year coach Klint Kubiak told reporters when discussing Mendoza at the NFL's annual meeting March 31.
Any plan not to start Mendoza would be contingent upon the team having a proven veteran to play ahead of him. Presently, the team has just one quarterback on its roster after trading Geno Smith to the New York Jets . That would be Aidan O'Connell , a 2023 fourth-round pick who has started 17 games across his three NFL seasons.
As such, Kubiak acknowledged his hopes Mendoza would not be rushed into action may not come to fruition.
"You might not have that veteran to show him the way," Kubiak told reporters. "So he might come in and have to play immediately. But you'd rather him learn before he gets in the game."
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That said, there are still plenty of veteran quarterbacks the Raiders could consider adding to their roster to pair with Mendoza. Here's a look at a handful of the most experienced options Las Vegas could target as a stopgap-slash-mentor for the Indiana star.
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Kirk Cousins
It's hard to imagine a quarterback who better fits Las Vegas' desired quarterback qualities than Cousins. The 37-year-old has made 167 career starts and is fresh off a two-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons , during which he served as a mentor to 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.
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Cousins is coming off a down year with the Falcons – he completed just 61.7% of his passes and averaged 6.4 yards per attempt, both being the second-lowest marks of his career – but still posted a 5-3 record as a starter. That showed he still has the skills needed to steadily guide the Raiders as a bridge option, which would allow the team to develop Mendoza behind the scenes until they deem him ready to start.
Kubiak also overlapped with Cousins for three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings , so their relationship could make the veteran an ideal stopgap for Las Vegas.
Russell Wilson
There is a considerable drop-off among stopgap options behind Cousins, assuming Aaron Rodgers would only consider returning in 2026 to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers .
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Wilson is hardly a sexy option at this point in his career. The 37-year-old has boasted a respectable-but-unspectacular 90.9 passer rating since leaving the Seattle Seahawks following the 2021 NFL season and completed a career-low 58% of his passes for 831 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in three starts for the New York Giants last season. He lasted just three weeks before ceding the starting job to Jaxson Dart , and it's hard to imagine him holding off competition from Mendoza long-term.
Still, Wilson has made 202 regular-season starts and won Super Bowl 48 in his second season with the Seahawks. Perhaps that will convince Kubiak – who coached Wilson with the Denver Broncos in 2022 – to bring him in as a sounding board for Mendoza.
Derek Carr
Could the Raiders reunite with Carr? It would make a lot of sense if the 35-year-old quarterback were willing to come out of retirement.
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Carr spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Raiders before completing his career with the New Orleans Saints . During his final campaign, Kubiak was his offensive coordinator. Carr thrived under his tutelage, completing 67.7% of his passes for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while logging a 101 passer rating, the second-best mark of his career.
The Raiders would potentially need to trade for Carr if he comes out of retirement, and it is also unclear whether the 11-year veteran will be willing to return to the NFL without being guaranteed a starting role. Those obstacles could make a reunion between the two parties unlikely.
Tyrod Taylor
Taylor doesn't have the same breadth of experience as Carr, Cousins or Wilson, as most of his 60 career starts came with the Buffalo Bills from 2015-17. Even so, that starting experience could be enough for the Raiders to consider the 36-year-old as a lower-end stopgap option for the team.
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Taylor started four games for the Jets last season and completed 59.7% of his passes for 779 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. Like Wilson, he wouldn't be able to hold off Mendoza long – if at all – but he could still buy the team time to develop the No. 1 overall pick.
Joshua Dobbs
Like Taylor, Dobbs would be more of a backup-type addition who could be a short-term starter if Mendoza isn't ready out of the gate. The 31-year-old has played for nine different NFL teams and just backed up Drake Maye during the New England Patriots ' Super Bowl 60 run.
Dobbs has made only 15 starts in his career, most of which came during the 2023 season with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings. He has a 3-12 career record and has completed 62.8% of his passes for 3,346 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Veteran QBs Raiders could target after Klint Kubiak comments
