Should Vegas play the rookie quarterback ahead of veteran Kirk Cousins?
The Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on whom they hope will be the future of the franchise in quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Indiana signal-caller cemented himself as a college football legend, as he led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and College Football Championship while picking up the Heisman Trophy along the way.
Only three other players have ever won the Heisman Trophy and were selected No. 1 overall: Cam Newton, Jameis Winston and Joe Burrow. All three players were immediately thrown into the starting lineup for their respective teams, but that will not be the case for Mendoza. The Raiders went out and signed veteran Kirk Cousins to start the season, and mentor the young Mendoza.
Some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL did not start right away. Patrick Mahomes sat almost his entire rookie season while learning behind Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers sat for three years behind Brett Favre, and Jordan Love behind Rodgers for two seasons. Even the great Tom Brady sat for over a full year backing up Drew Bledsoe. So, what is the best course of action?
The case for Mendoza to start right away
Former Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, who coached Philly to its Super Bowl LII victory against Brady’s New England Patriots in 2017, believes that Mendoza should start right away.
Pederson faced this same dilemma in 2016, when his Eagles drafted Carson Wentz No. 2 overall. It appeared Wentz was going to sit behind Sam Bradford as a rookie, but the Eagles changed course and shipped Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings prior to the start of the regular season. That opened the door for Wentz to play immediately.
As Pederson explains it, he truly believed Wentz was going to be his franchise quarterback, and he wanted to get the growing pains out of the way early. He believes the Raiders should do this with Mendoza.
“Let’s get this guy out there Week 1, let’s start having our growing pains Week 1,” Pederson said. “Let’s not prolong it into October or November or later in the season. Let’s get him out there now. Let’s get him working with the guys that he’s going to be working with. Making the calls at the offensive line, getting Ashton Jeanty the ball. I think Klint Kubiak’s system is going to allow for that, with the play-action pass, the run game, all these things that helped Seattle win a championship last year. But let’s get Fernando on the field. I think it’s very beneficial…”
Pederson said Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott called him in 2018 to ask for advice on how to handle his new quarterback, Josh Allen. Pederson told him if McDermott was completely sold on Allen being the future of the franchise, he should play right away.
Wentz went 7-9 for the Eagles as a rookie, and then started his second season 11-2 before tearing his ACL. Wentz looked like an MVP candidate during that 2017 campaign prior to his injury with 33 passing touchdowns in 13 games. He clearly built confidence after playing a full year in the NFL.
Brady says rookies playing right away is a ‘tragedy’
If there’s one former player you should listen to when it comes to handling quarterbacks, it’s Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is a proponent of sitting and developing young quarterbacks. He lamented the state of the quarterback in today’s NFL during a 2024 interview.
“I didn’t start my first year. I think it’s just a tragedy that we’re forcing these rookies to play early,” Brady said. “But the reality is, the only reason why they are is because we’ve dumbed the game down which has allowed them to play. It used to be thought of at a higher level…”
How have rookie QBs fared?
Since 2020, we’ve seen 11 rookie quarterbacks start immediately, and every single one of them had growing pains. Even the great Burrow, who threw for 193 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception in his first career start.
Let’s take a look at the last 11 rookie quarterbacks who played right away, and their team’s final record that season.
| Year | Team | QB | Week 1 Win or Loss | Team’s final record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2025 |
L |
3-14 |
||
|
2024 |
W |
5-12 |
||
|
2024 |
L |
12-5 |
||
|
2024 |
L |
10-7 |
||
|
2023 |
L |
2-15 |
||
|
2023 |
L |
10-7 |
||
|
2023 |
L |
9-8 |
||
|
2021 |
Jaguars |
L |
3-14 |
|
|
2021 |
L |
4-13 |
||
|
2021 |
Patriots |
L |
10-7 |
|
|
2020 |
Joe Burrow |
L |
4-11-1 |
As you can see, it’s not impossible for a rookie quarterback to come in and find success. Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix both became the only rookie quarterbacks in NFL history to win double-digit games, account for 4,000 total yards and score 30 total touchdowns in 2024. Even Mac Jones made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and took the Patriots to the playoffs. However, there are more instances of first-year signal-callers being unable to single-handedly elevate their respective squads.
The fact of the matter is teams that start rookie quarterbacks usually aren’t contending for Super Bowls. In fact, the last four quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall had their head coaches fired in the middle of their rookie seasons! The Raiders are electing to go with a veteran, and have their prized rookie learn the ways of the league before he’s thrown to the wolves in hopes he’s adequately prepared.
