Raiders name Kirk Cousins Week 1 starter

Kirk Cousins will open the season as the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback after coach Klint Kubiak announced the decision on Sept. 2, ending a training-camp competition that included rookie Fernando Mendoza. Kubiak made the call ahead of Las Vegas’ Week 1 home game against the Miami Dolphins. The move means Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will begin his career on the bench rather than in the opener. The Raiders had kept the competition open through camp before making the decision public Wednesday. ### Why did the Raiders settle on Cousins for Week 1? Klint Kubiak announced Wednesday morning after practice that Cousins would be the starter heading into Week 1, according to the Raiders’ official site. ESPN also reported that Kubiak said Cousins would start the opener in Las Vegas against Miami. (espn.com) The Raiders’ announcement capped a competition that, according to the team site, also included Aidan O’Connell during camp. By naming Cousins now, Las Vegas gives the veteran the first regular-season snap of Kubiak’s first season as head coach. ### What does this mean for Fernando Mendoza? (raiders.com) Fernando Mendoza will begin his rookie season as the backup despite being selected first overall in April’s draft, according to ESPN and other reports. That makes the quarterback decision notable beyond Las Vegas because top overall picks at the position are usually pushed into the lineup immediately. USA Today described the decision as the expected outcome after a closely watched camp battle, while ESPN said Mendoza would not open the year as the starter. Neither report indicated that the Raiders had changed their long-term view of the rookie; the immediate decision was limited to Week 1. (espn.com) ### What do we know about Cousins’ place on this roster? Kirk Cousins, 38, is set to start for his fourth NFL franchise, according to The Athletic’s report surfaced in search results. The same report said he joined the Raiders this offseason after spending 2025 as a backup with the Atlanta Falcons. (usatoday.com) The Raiders’ official announcement framed the choice as the end point of a camp competition rather than a last-minute change. Kubiak had declined to publicly name a starter through training camp before doing so on Sept. 2. ### When and where is the opener? The Raiders’ official 2026 schedule lists Week 1 as a home game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Allegiant Stadium. (nytimes.com) The team schedule page lists kickoff at 1:25 p.m. PDT, while the Dolphins’ schedule release also identified the opener as a road game in Las Vegas on Sept. 13. NFL.com’s team schedule page also lists Dolphins at Raiders in Week 1, and Allegiant Stadium’s event page says the Raiders will kick off the 2026 season against Miami there. (raiders.com) Those listings place Cousins’ first start for Las Vegas in a home opener rather than on the road. ### What happens next for the quarterback depth chart? (raiders.com) Sept. 13 is the next fixed date on the Raiders’ quarterback calendar, when Cousins is scheduled to lead Las Vegas against Miami at Allegiant Stadium. Mendoza is set to open the season as the backup, and the Raiders’ Week 2 schedule sends them to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 20. (nfl.com)