Raiders name Mendoza starting quarterback and call the switch a planned move
Mark Davis said the move was planned, John Spytek said it is not giving up on the season, and the Raiders face a Seattle team that is 5-4 and first in total defense.
- The Raiders have named Fernando Mendoza as their starting quarterback, and Mark Davis stated that the transition to Mendoza was a planned move. m:…1761 m:…8952
- Kirk Cousins was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins ranked second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 20 and fifth in the NFL in passing yards with 2,340. m:…1761
- The Raiders have a 4-5 record through nine games and rank fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game at 259.7 and second in passing touchdowns with 20. m:…1761 m:…8952
- Klint Kubiak plans to utilize Mendoza's mobility in the offense and is giving Mendoza full access to the playbook. Brock Bowers leads the Raiders with 658 receiving yards, 48 receptions and six touchdown catches. m:…8952
- Seattle is 5-4, ranks first in total defense with 244.2 yards allowed per game, and Drew Lock has a 116.0 passer rating through three games in the 2026 season. m:…6982
A planned change
The Raiders have named Fernando Mendoza as their starting quarterback. Mark Davis stated that the transition to Mendoza was a planned move, and John Spytek stated that the quarterback change is not an attempt to punt on the 2026 season. The statements work together: the move was planned, and the team says it is not a step away from competing this season. m:…1761
Mendoza takes over after Kirk Cousins was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins ranked second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 20 and fifth in the NFL in passing yards with 2,340, The Raiders rank fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game at 259.7 and second in passing touchdowns with 20. m:…1761 m:…8952
Klint Kubiak previously stated that a rookie quarterback should learn behind a veteran. Now Kubiak plans to utilize Mendoza's mobility in the offense and is giving Mendoza full access to the playbook. m:…1761 m:…8952
What Mendoza inherits
The Raiders have a 4-5 record through nine games. Brock Bowers leads the Raiders in receiving yards with 658, receptions with 48, and touchdown catches with six, and Bowers expressed confidence in Mendoza's practice performance. m:…1761 m:…8952
Ashton Jeanty leads all NFL running backs in receiving yards with 371 and receptions with 42, Mendoza and the other Raiders quarterbacks prepared together throughout the season, according to the team's mailbag report. m:…8952
Sunday's test
The Raiders face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Seahawks have a 5-4 record through the first half of the 2026 season and rank first in total defense with 244.2 yards allowed per game. That is a hard assignment for a new starter. m:…1761 m:…6982
Drew Lock has a 116.0 passer rating through three games in the 2026 season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 1,036 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 71 receptions in the 2026 season, and has accounted for 49.6 percent of Seattle's receiving yards in 2026. m:…6982
Ernest Jones IV has 88 tackles in the 2026 season, the most in the NFC. The Seahawks are 15-0 under Mike Macdonald when winning the turnover battle, and the Seahawks acquired All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson two weeks prior to November 12, 2026. Emanuel Wilson rushed for 403 yards and three touchdowns in the first seven games of the 2026 season, and Michael Dickson has a 42.8 net punting average in the 2026 season, m:…6982
What to watch
The open question is how much of the offense changes with Mendoza under center. Kubiak plans to use his mobility and has opened the full playbook, but the reports do not say how the balance between passing and running will shift, or how quickly the new starter will be asked to carry the attack. What the reports do say is that the plan was made in advance, that the team does not see the change as giving up on the season, and that the supporting cast around the new starter has already produced. m:…8952 m:…1761
The reports give the change a clear framing. Davis stated that the transition to Mendoza was a planned move, and Spytek stated that the quarterback change is not an attempt to punt on the 2026 season. Mendoza and the other Raiders quarterbacks prepared together throughout the season, and Bowers expressed confidence in Mendoza's practice performance, so the change arrives with the room behind the new starter. m:…1761 m:…8952
What is still unresolved
- How much the offense will change with Mendoza, beyond Kubiak's plan to use his mobility.
- How the Raiders will replace the production Cousins provided before his trade.
- Whether the change steadies a team that is 4-5 through nine games.
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