Former NFL linebacker Manti Te’o envisions Kirk Cousins’ presence on the Las Vegas Raiders paying major dividends for the likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in 2026.
On Friday’s airing of Good Morning Football, Te’o stressed how critical having a mentor in the NFL is as a proven recipe for incoming rookies such as Mendoza to transition smoothly into the league.
Visit bettingx.club for more information.
”It is such an advantage for this young man, given the opportunity to have Tom Brady, arguably the greatest ever, and then you got Kirk Cousins. Cerebral,” Te’o said. “You don’t make that much money if you’re not an asset to a team. So now you’re an asset to Fernando Mendoza.”
The Raiders struck a deal with Cousins in free agency on Thursday. Las Vegas is anticipated to have a position battle at quarterback between Cousins as well as Mendoza prior to the start of next season. But regardless of who ultimately takes the field first between them, Cousins looks to be the perfect QB to help develop Mendoza.
Just two @Raiders legends talking ball.
— HouseRules (@houserules789) April 2, 2026
New Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins joined former Raiders coach Jon Gruden at the Super Bowl to talk some football.
Gruden had Cousins draw up a 4th down play he made with the Falcons two months earlier, a play that went for 14 yards,… pic.twitter.com/6SNn1AOXiN
Mendoza is highly-regarded as a gifted quarterback who is forecasted to be the Raiders’ quarterback of the future. However, Cousins brings veteran experience to the table, having thrown for 4,000 yards seven times in his 14 seasons in the league. He also led the NFL in completion percentage in 2015 at 69.8 percent. Cousins has completed at least 68 percent of his passes five times in his career.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders QB Kirk Cousins to be ‘such an advantage’ for Fernando Mendoza