Las Vegas Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza was handed the team’s QB1 duties after veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was traded to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. Since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza has completed just 6 of 8 attempted passes for 48 yards, adding 3 rushing yards as he backed up Cousins.

After Raiders general manager John Spytek announced Mendoza’s elevation, former quarterback Jordan Rodgers slammed the team for the move.

Analyst Addresses Impact of Kirk Cousins’ Trade on Fernando Mendoza

During Wednesday’s segment of the “Get Up” show, Rodgers explained why Cousins’ midseason move will hinder Mendoza’s settling into the league and why it was a diversion from the Raiders’ original plan to bed in the rookie.

“I hate this for Fernando Mendoza for a couple of reasons,” Rodgers said. “The first is, Raiders have been very adamant that they were not gonna play him until they felt that he’s ready. Even through the three games in a row that they lost, they were like, ‘No. This is still Kirk Cousins; he’s playing fine.’ That didn’t magically change at 3 p.m. yesterday when they made the change, and Fernando Mendoza is all of a sudden ready. No, he wasn’t.

“But now he’s being forced in to play and this is where I go: the development of Fernando Mendoza is absolutely gonna be negatively impacted. Now, it may be minimal; it may be a lot. But you can guarantee that not having Kirk Cousins there on the sideline to go through plays drive by drive, to give tips, to tell Mendoza what he’s seeing will absolutely hinder at least a little bit of his development.”

Rodgers was also not enthused about the long-term return of a third-round pick in the Cousins trade, which could affect Mendoza’s development as a franchise quarterback.

“I don’t like it because you’re now diverting from the plan you had in place, and what did you get? A third-round pick,” Rodgers added. “And I’m not gonna scoff at a third-round pick, but if a third-round pick is gonna put the development of your franchise QB even a little bit at risk, it’s not worth it.

Mendoza will make his full debut as a starter during the Raiders’ Week 10 home game against the Seattle Seahawks.

While the Raiders were tabbed to struggle this season, they started the season with three consecutive wins under new coach Klint Kubiak. A four-game losing streak brought them back to earth, and Mendoza will inherit a 4-5 team midway through the season.

Before joining the Vikings, Cousins had been one of the league’s most in-form quarterbacks this season, amassing 2,340 passing yards on 64.1% completion, 20 touchdowns (No. 2), and 8 interceptions (sixth most), adding 7 rushing yards and 2 scores for the Raiders. The four-time Pro Bowler has earned a PFN QB Impact score of 80.5 (No. 11 in the league).

Mendoza, who led the Indiana Hoosiers to the national championship unbeaten last season, will have big shoes to fill and will take over a unit that has earned a PFN Offense Impact score of 77.5 (No. 11 in the NFL).