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By Ellis Williams
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Fernando Mendoza's first NFL start could have come weeks later if some inside the Las Vegas Raiders had gotten their way.
The Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, handing their offense to the No. 1 overall pick. But as recently as last weekend, there were people in the organization who wanted to keep Cousins beyond the deadline, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Friday.
That would have allowed Mendoza to stay on the bench for several more games, potentially until after Las Vegas' Week 13 bye. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan had been working primarily on Mendoza's development rather than preparing Cousins for games.
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Minnesota had reached out before last weekend but did not believe a deal was possible until after Sunday. The deadline left little time for either team to reconsider. Instead of continuing his apprenticeship, Mendoza will face the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in his first start Sunday.
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Las Vegas received a 2027 third-round pick in the deal. Cousins had started all nine games for the Raiders, completing 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His passer rating was 97.1.
For Minnesota, the trade brings back a quarterback who spent six seasons with the franchise from 2018 through 2023. Cousins also knows Kevin O'Connell's offense from their two seasons together, along with receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson.
The Vikings needed help with Kyler Murray dealing with a hamstring injury. Carson Wentz completed eight of 25 passes with two interceptions and no touchdowns against Buffalo in Murray's absence. Cousins now returns to a Minnesota team that was 6-2 at the time of the trade.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are 4-5 and have eight regular-season games left to evaluate Mendoza as their starter. His only regular-season appearance so far came against New England, when he completed 75 percent of his passes for 48 yards.
Klint Kubiak backed the rookie's preparation when the Raiders announced the switch.
“He practices extremely well and his work habits also allowed us to make this trade because we feel that he's ready to go,” the coach said.
Mendoza arrived after winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship at Indiana. He completed 72 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards and a nation-leading 41 touchdowns in his final college season. Las Vegas no longer has Cousins ahead of him. The next step in his development will come with the starting offense against Seattle.
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