What Did Kirk Cousins Tell Fernando Mendoza? Las Vegas Raiders Rookie Receives 3-Word Message After Major NFL Trade

Fernando Mendoza gets Kirk Cousins' attention after Raiders trade© Getty via AFP

Kirk Cousins left Las Vegas with a three-word message for Fernando Mendoza: “Go get em.” The Raiders traded the veteran quarterback to the Minnesota Vikings before Tuesday's deadline, clearing the way for Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, to start. His first career start comes Sunday, Nov. 15, at home against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (4:05 ET). General manager John Spytek confirmed Mendoza as the starter moving forward at a news conference on Nov. 10. Cousins posted his goodbye to Raider Nation on Instagram and tagged Mendoza.

Kirk Cousins' three-word message to Fernando Mendoza

Cousins kept the farewell short. His Instagram story thanked “Raider Nation,” then turned to the rookie he had tagged. “Go get em,” Cousins wrote.

He had said as much on Oct. 26. “He has a bright future ahead,” he told reporters.

Spytek said he never made a call shopping Cousins. Talks with the Vikings started in earnest Tuesday morning, after Minnesota's 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football.” The Raiders had told Cousins when they signed him in March, to what is basically a one-year deal, that Mendoza was the future.

Cousins and Spytek met before the deal. It was not easy, Spytek said, but it was productive. The Raiders wanted to show a 15-year veteran respect.

Spytek framed the decision as a choice between two paths. “We had to basically decide do we want to go forward here over the last eight games, or do we want to take what Minnesota is offering right now? Ultimately, we decided to do that.”

Mendoza faces a tough start with the Raiders' ground game struggling

Mendoza's only regular-season snaps came in a Week 4 road loss to the Patriots on Oct. 11. He went 6-for-8 for 48 yards at the end. Spytek said, “He passed every test.”

The schedule offers no breaks. Seattle's defense, dubbed the “Dark Side,” did not allow a touchdown to the undermanned Cardinals last week.

Then comes a road trip to Denver in Week 11. The Broncos rank in the top 10 in points allowed per game (20.7) and have 26 sacks and 12 takeaways.

“Fernando has everything we've asked him to do in practice,” head coach Klint Kubiak said. “I think he's exceeded those expectations, and we all know that live bullet Sunday is far different from practice.”

He will not get much help on the ground. Las Vegas ranks 31st in rushing yards per game (71.3) and last in yards per rush (2.9). Ashton Jeanty, the 2025 first-round pick, has not worked out, though rookie Mike Washington has shown some juice. Kubiak wants a faster start after the 49ers loss that dropped the Raiders to 4-5: “You got to start the game a lot faster.” Brock Bowers, ninth in receiving yards with six touchdowns, and Tre Tucker give Mendoza real targets.