The Las Vegas Raiders' reported plan to open the season with Kirk Cousins as their QB1 drew sharp criticism from NFL insider Mike Florio, who questioned both the decision and how the locker room would react if Fernando Mendoza outplayed the veteran.

Mike Florio didn't hold back while discussing the plan on the NFL on NBC.

"We have a guy who we can all tell in every practice is better than Kirk Cousins as of right now," said Florio. "But you've got this plan that you're going to groom Fernando Mendoza by having him not play? By deliberately choosing the lesser guy to be the quarterback? Good luck with that one, Klint Kubiak. I just don't buy it."

Florio also questioned how veteran players in the Raiders' locker room would react if the coaching staff started Cousins despite believing Mendoza was the better quarterback.

"What's Maxx Crosby going to say about that? What's Brock Bowers going to say about that? What's any veteran player going to say?" Florio added on NFL on NBC (YouTube @NFLonNBC).

Florio further argued that if Mendoza couldn't beat out Cousins despite being the No. 1 overall pick, it would raise questions about the Raiders' draft decision.

"If you got the first overall pick in the draft and you've used it on a guy who can't beat out Kirk Cousins in a quarterback competition, you've picked the wrong guy... If that guy can't walk through the door and win the job over Kirk Cousins, you s****** it up."

However, Logan Lazarczyk of the Las Vegas Raiders on SI doesn't agree with Florio's comments. Lazarczyk argued that giving Mendoza time to adjust to the Raiders' offensive system before taking over as the starter would better serve his long-term development.

Cousins is a veteran of the sport. With over 44,000 yards and 298 TD's in his 174 games, he is at the twilight of his NFL career. He is not the same player who recorded multiple 4,000-yard seasons from 2015 to 2022.

This may also be the reason why Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is seconding Florio's statement.

Former NFL coach wants Fernando Mendoza to start as QB1 over Kirk Cousins

While Kubiak appears to favor Cousins entering training camp, CBS's Doug Pederson believes the Raiders would benefit from putting Mendoza on the field sooner rather than later.

Pederson shared his thoughts on the matter via YouTube (@CBSSports), advocating for the Raiders to get Fernando Mendoza on the field sooner rather than later.

"[The Raiders should] not prolong it into October, November, or later in the season when maybe the season's over," said Pederson. "Let's get [Mendoza] out there now [and] get him working with the guys he's going to be working... I think Klint Kubiak's system is going to allow for that with the play-action pass, the run game… Let's get Fernando on the field. I think it's very beneficial."

Cousins' $20 million salary gives the Raiders another factor to consider, but training camp is expected to provide a clearer picture of whether the veteran or Mendoza gives the team its best chance to win.

Who do you think will be the QB1 of the Las Vegas Raiders? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Rudra Dubey