Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL start is set for Sunday, and Stephen A. Smith isn’t on board with the timing. The analyst disagrees with the Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to hand the No. 1 overall pick the offense now, because the rookie’s first two starts come against the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos, and he expects the rookie to struggle out of the gate.

Las Vegas cleared the way for Mendoza by trading Kirk Cousins, who joined the Raiders in April, to the Minnesota Vikings before Tuesday’s deadline. At a news conference alongside head coach Klint Kubiak, general manager John Spytek named Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to a national championship, the team’s starting quarterback going forward. The Raiders enter the move at 4-5 and third in the AFC West.

Stephen A. Smith Questions Timing of Fernando Mendoza’s First Start

Smith shared his thoughts on “First Take”, and he left little doubt about where he stands on the Raiders’ call. “I don’t like this for the Raiders. I don’t agree with this move at all.”

In Smith’s view, the bigger issue is the opposition waiting for the rookie right away:

“Look, Mendoza’s the future and you get it. But damn, other than the Patriots, where he came in at spot duty, you’re talking about him going up against Seattle and Denver in his first two starts. Talk about expected demoralization kicking in. You should anticipate, it’s going to be a really, really, really rough outing.”

The Patriots game Smith mentioned is still Mendoza’s only regular-season action. He went 6 of 8 for 48 yards in mop-up duty during a 45-17 loss at New England in Week 5. Now he goes from that brief look to a start against Seattle, the reigning Super Bowl champion, which comes to Allegiant Stadium with a 5-4 record.

Smith also looked past the schedule to the team around Mendoza. “Now, these are the Raiders who made no acquisitions before the trading deadline, who’ve lost five of their last six after starting 3-0.” He came back to the rookie later in the segment, warning of “a really, really, really rough few weeks for Mendoza.”

The record backs up his math. Las Vegas has gone 1-5 since its 3-0 start, and the 38-17 loss at San Francisco on Nov. 8 turned out to be Cousins’ last game with the team.

Spytek, however, pushed back on the idea that the Raiders, who rank 11th on PFN’s Offense Impact Metric, are giving up on this season.

Dealing Cousins “in no way signifies that we are punting on this season or looking forward to 2027,” he said, and when asked how the move helps the current team, he answered that the Raiders “have a lot of belief in the team, and the guy that’s going to be playing quarterback now too.”

John Spytek and Klint Kubiak Back Mendoza for the Early Test

Spytek spoke highly of Mendoza’s development as he explained the decision.

“It’s something that he’s worked very hard for since the moment he walked into this building,” Spytek said. “He passed every test. I want to stop short of saying he’s earned it, but he put us in a position where we had to make a really hard decision today with his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback.”

Kubiak, who ran Seattle’s offense as coordinator last season, didn’t dismiss the chance of a bumpy debut against his former team.

“We have expectations for him to play at a high level,” Kubiak said. “Yes, when you play your first NFL game, there’s going to be ups and downs, but that’s why he’s 1/11th part of the operation. He’s got to rely on his teammates, and he’s got to do his job.”

The coach also linked the trade itself to what the staff has seen from the rookie in practice. “He’s prepared, he’s practiced extremely well, and his work habits also allow us to make this trade because we feel that he’s ready to go.”

Denver, the second opponent Smith named, is 7-2 and leads the AFC West, three games ahead of Las Vegas, and the Raiders visit Empower Field at Mile High for that matchup on Nov. 22.