Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak announced that Kirk Cousins will begin training camp as the starting quarterback, ahead of first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. "When we go out to practice [on Wednesday], Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback," Kubiak stated. "He's the guy, and he deserves it because he's played really good football. But I want Fernando and Aidan [O'Connell] to push him."

Kubiak's decision aligns with his philosophy of having a young quarterback learn behind a veteran. Cousins, who joined the Raiders in April, received the majority of first-team reps during the offseason program. Mendoza and O'Connell worked with the second and third teams.

Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowl selection entering his 15th season, previously played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he worked with Kubiak from 2019-21. During that time, Cousins passed for over 12,000 yards and 94 touchdowns. Kubiak emphasized Cousins' value as a player, stating, "We brought him to play really good football."

Kubiak plans to evaluate Mendoza not only on statistics but also on his response to adversity, mistake correction, and overall demeanor as practices commence.