Raiders coach Klint Kubiak not ready to name starting quarterback after second preseason game: 'We got another week'

The Las Vegas Raiders are going to let their quarterback competition between Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza go down to the wire. Following the team’s Week 2 preseason win over the Houston Texans, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak declined to name a starter for the regular season, saying, “We got another week.”

Kubiak added, “I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job.”

Despite Mendoza being the No. 1 overall pick, reports have suggested the team could go with veteran Kirk Cousins as a way to slowly break Mendoza into the NFL. The team offered a hint that was the case ahead of Thursday’s preseason game, announcing Mendoza would play the entire first half while Cousins rested. Some believed that meant the Raiders were trying to keep Cousins healthy ahead of a probable Week 1 start.

That reasoning got a bit of a boost postgame Thursday, when Kubiak admitted Mendoza had “plenty to clean up” after his first taste of extended game action.

The 22-year-old Mendoza turned in a middling performance during the contest, completing eight of 15 attempts for 86 yards. His biggest mistake came early in the game, when Mendoza didn’t see Texans rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz shadowing running back Mike Washington Jr. on a pass attempt over the middle of the field.

Woodaz jumped the route, and returned the interception 80 yards for a touchdown.

Despite being given the entire first half, Mendoza couldn’t rally the offense to a touchdown. The Raiders trailed 20-3 at halftime, at which point Mendoza was removed from the contest. The team needed a massive second-half comeback in order to rally and win the game.

Though the team took Mendoza No. 1 overall, Kubiak previously indicated he would prefer not to throw the rookie into the starting role immediately. That’s likely why the team signed Cousins ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft … and why Cousins felt OK signing with the Raiders even though he knew the team was going to select Mendoza.

The Raiders still have one more preseason game before Kubiak needs to make a decision, though it’s unclear if either Cousins or Mendoza will appear in that contest.

It’s more likely that game won’t matter. Kubiak likely knows which quarterback is going to start in Week 1 and is just waiting until the last possible moment to make that announcement.

If the decision is Cousins — as many expect — Mendoza can breathe easy knowing he’ll get his chance before long. The Raiders drafted him to be the quarterback of the future and have every incentive to see if he can live up to that billing as early as possible.