Kurt Warner Makes His Feelings Clear On When Las Vegas Raiders Should Turn To Fernando Mendoza

Kirk Cousins keeps the starting job for Raiders, but Kurt Warner says Fernando Mendoza's time is coming.© Image via: X/@danfetes

Seven games into the season, the Las Vegas Raiders have a quarterback problem that is not really a problem. Kirk Cousins leads the league with 16 touchdown passes. Yet the team has lost four straight and sits at 3-4, so questions about rookie Fernando Mendoza will not go away. Head coach Klint Kubiak is shutting them down for now. Kurt Warner, a Hall of Fame quarterback, thinks the debate has a short shelf life. Here is where each voice stands, and what could flip the decision before the Raiders face the New York Jets.

Kurt Warner Shifts His Stance On Fernando Mendoza In One Week

On October 21, Warner told the Rich Eisen Show it was too early to hand Mendoza the job. A week and one more loss later, his answer carries a condition. He now sees a clear trigger: the day the Raiders stop competing.

"And if we can't compete, you know, no matter where we sit in the standings, that's to me the time where you start to go, okay, is it time to, you know, kind of speed this thing up and get Fernando out there and kind of let our veterans know, hey, we gave it a run," Warner said.

“I don't think [the Steelers are] gonna go very far.” @kurt13warner is skeptical about Pittsburgh despite their 5-2 start  (via @RichEisenShow) https://t.co/6DDWXHjric

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 28, 2026

Then he put a date on the idea. "So, I believe the time is coming."

Kirk Cousins And Klint Kubiak Hold The Line For Now

Cousins has earned patience. He has thrown for 1,877 yards, 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Kubiak blames the red zone, the third quarter, personnel and scheme for the slide, not his quarterback.

"Kirk is our starting quarterback. There is no controversy," Kubiak said Monday, as reported by Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com. "He is playing at a very high level."

Mendoza has played just the final quarter against the New England Patriots, a drive that ended in a turnover on downs. Kubiak called those reps important. ESPN's Dan Graziano reports the Raiders want a stronger setup around the rookie before they switch, and they do not believe they are there yet.

NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, speaking on Move The Sticks, expects the team to stay patient. He even put a number on it.

"I said 10 games," Jeremiah said. "I said, get through 10 weeks, that leaves you seven to go out there and get some experience and learn on the job. But that's a nice long to sit and watch and learn. How you prepare, how you practice and give yourself a chance to play well. … That, to me, seems like the sweet spot."

Cousins starts against the Jets this week, and Mendoza keeps learning from the sideline.