Raiders Throw No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza to the Wolves After Trading Kirk Cousins

The Las Vegas Raiders just paid Kirk Cousins a pile of guaranteed money to be a veteran mentor, only to trade him back to the Minnesota Vikings mid-season and hand the offense over to Fernando Mendoza.

Las Vegas is sitting at 4-5 after getting blown out 38-17 by the San Francisco 49ers, and the front office has apparently seen enough of the veteran placeholder experience.

"Adam Schefter reported that Mendoza will take over as the starting QB following the Cousins trade."

Instead of easing the No. 1 overall pick into the NFL, the Raiders are throwing him directly into a meat grinder. Mendoza’s first two career starts will come against the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos, which is objectively hilarious unless you are the rookie having to watch that film.

Mendoza’s entire professional resume right now consists of a brief Week 5 cameo where he threw for 48 yards and an interception. Now he has to figure out an NFL offense against a Seattle defense that just held the Arizona Cardinals to three points.

This is the kind of chaotic roster management that keeps the Raiders in the headlines. You draft the Heisman winner out of Indiana first overall, sign a 38-year-old Cousins as a very expensive bridge, and then ship Cousins back to his old team the second the season starts slipping.

Anyone looking at the player props for Mendoza’s debut needs to factor in that he is facing two of the most unforgiving secondaries in the league. The under on his passing yards is going to be a very popular ticket at the sportsbooks this weekend.

We will find out immediately if Mendoza is actually ready to be a franchise savior or if the Raiders just sacrificed their prized rookie to a pair of elite defenses. If he survives the Seattle pass rush this Sunday, he might actually be the real deal.