Fernando Mendoza was the No. 1 pick in Aprils NFL Draft. But hell have to earn a starting job with the Las Vegas Raiders.Head coach Klint Kubiak confirmed to reporters Tuesday that veteran Kirk Cousins will start training camp as the Raiders starting quarterback. Kubiak made his comments at a news conference a day before the start of training camp.When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk Cousins the starting quarterback. Hes the guy, Kubiak said. Hes gonna get a ton of reps. He deserves it. Hes played really good football.I want Fernando and I want Aidan [O'Connell] to push him.Kubiak added that its important for me to be fair to the players and put the best player out there.Kirk Cousins is our starter. Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak on the Raiders quarterback situation: : @MikeDixon_VST#RaiderNation | #Raiderspic.twitter.com/wgZITx1d7n Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) July 28, 2026Mendoza is obviously the Raiders planned quarterback of the future. But the plan, for now, is not to rush him. The Raiders signed Cousins to a two-year contract prior to Aprils NFL Draft to add a veteran presence in the room and presumably allow them to ease Mendoza into his role. How long Cousins will remain the Raiders starter is unclear.How Mendoza develops and is placed into the starting position will be the most important challenge for Kubiak as a rookie head coach.This story will be updated.