Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak is either playing some sort of mind game or he sincerely is torn about naming a starting quarterback to open the regular season.
That’s the only way to view this after the coach on Thursday night (actually Friday morning) declined to say what everyone assumes — that Kirk Cousins is the Las Vegas starter to open the season against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13.
“You know, we got another week playing,” Kubiak told reporters after his team’s preseason game against the Houston Texans. “I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job.
“It should always be that way from all positions. So, you know, we’ll just keep going forward.”
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins warms up during practice at the team’s NFL training camp Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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The Raiders are heading toward their preseason finale next Thursday without naming a starting quarterback for the regular season. Kubiak apparently wants to keep Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza guessing about their status on the depth chart.
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And the entire rest of the Earth is thinking, “Really, coach?”
Just last week, Kubiak made it seem like Cousins was the leader in the proverbial clubhouse for the starting job.
“I think he’s had a solid training camp and it’s his job to lose,” Kubiak said of Cousins.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass during a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Aug. 13, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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And one week later, when all Cousins did was watch from the sideline while Mendoza started and then gave way to third-stringer Aidan O’Connell in the second half, Kubiak’s changing course?
What exactly did Cousins do to lose the job while not playing? Did he eat too much in the pregame meal?
Kubiak himself said Cousins “did some good things” against the Texans in their joint practice on Tuesday. And, admittedly, Cousins did have a cringe moment when he threw a pick six in that practice.
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Raiders minority owner Tom Brady yells encouragement to players during the first half of a Raiders training camp mock game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 2, 2025. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
But guess what?
Mendoza threw a pick six in Thursday’s game against the same team’s backup players.
“It was not a good throw,” Mendoza said of the pass that probably should have gone to the open receiver in the flat instead.
Mendoza is undoubtedly going to be the Raiders starter at some point. He might even be the guy later this season. He was, after all, the team’s No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 draft.
But team minority owner Tom Brady has talked about the benefits of sitting as a rookie and learning behind an experienced veteran, which kind of worked for him.
Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak speaks at introductory press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center on Feb. 10, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The Raiders signed Cousins to serve as the bridge starting quarterback while Mendoza grows and learns. And one valuable lesson apparently came against the Texans.
“I came away with that there’s a lot of more learning to do,” Mendoza said. “And that, although I maybe had a lot of success at another level, that this level’s a whole step further, and that the margins are so small and that, you know, one tight mistake can lead to catastrophe.”
Here’s a catastrophe in the making:
A rookie NFL head coach could be playing mind games with players to keep them uncomfortable. That maybe used to work for Vince Lombardi and Don Shula.
But when the obvious answer is to start Cousins and let Mendoza grow for a bit at the beginning of the regular season, this tactic by Kubiak seems phony.
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