Raiders could copy Patriots plan for rookie Drake Maye with Fernando Mendoza
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Raiders could copy Patriots plan for rookie Drake Maye with Fernando Mendoza originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Las Vegas Raiders enter the 2026 NFL season with some question marks about Brock Bowers in the short and long-term after a sudden meniscus surgery has likely knocked him out for one to two games to start the season.
But the real issue for the Raiders before the season begins is how they manage their quarterback position. The question is simple: When will Fernando Mendoza take over for Kirk Cousins? For the Raiders, they have plenty of options.
As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler highlighted, the Raiders could elect to follow the same plan the New England Patriots used with Drake Maye in 2024. That plan would mean he doesn't start for a month or so, but it's worked out fine for the Patriots with Maye so far.
Raiders could copy Patriots' Drake Maye rookie QB plan with Fernando Mendoza
"The Raiders can follow the 2024 Patriots' script, when Jacoby Brissett was the stopgap option to Drake Maye," Fowler writes. "Brissett lasted about a month with a 1-4 record before Maye took over."
If the Raiders wanted to follow a plan that recently worked out quite well with a rookie quarterback, this Patriots' plan with Maye has been a successful one.
They didn't play Maye until their sixth game. While the Raiders might not follow this plan perfectly, it's a potential outline for the Raiders to follow with Mendoza.
If they were to call upon Mendoza for his first start in the NFL in Week 6, that would be a matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Las Vegas.
MORE: Raiders name Kirk Cousins as Week 1 starter over Fernando Mendoza
The Bills are a good team, but their defense shouldn't be too overwhelming for Mendoza. Plus, he'd get his first start at home, which would make a lot of sense for the Raiders from a fan-excitement perspective.
Week 7 is a tough one against the Los Angeles Rams, but it would be a lot better to give Mendoza a start against the Bills before facing such an elite defense in Week 7.
There really isn't a good part of the season to get Mendoza into the game until after their Week 13 bye. Waiting that long to start Mendoza would surely frustrate fans, unless Cousins was playing great and leading this team to a winning record.
Copying the Patriots' plan with Maye, to wait five weeks before starting their rookie QB, could make a lot of sense for the Raiders this upcoming season.
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