Kirk Cousins will begin training camp as the Las Vegas Raiders' starting quarterback over No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, head coach Klint Kubiak announced Tuesday.
"When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback," Kubiak said, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. "He's the guy. He's going to get a ton of reps, and he deserves them because he's played really good football.
"But I want Fernando and I want Aidan (O'Connell) to push him."
Cousins signed a one-year deal with the Raiders this offseason, reuniting with Kubiak after they worked together on the Minnesota Vikings from 2019-21.
Kubiak has been vocal about his preference to take a patient approach with a rookie quarterback. The coach said prior to the draft that it'd be ideal for a young signal-caller to "learn behind somebody."
Mendoza signed his fully guaranteed four-year, $57.27-million rookie contract last week. The No. 1 overall pick won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to a national championship last season.
