Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza will begin his career on the bench, no easy thing for a No. 1 overall pick who just won a national championship.
Legendary agent Leigh Steinberg, who had eight No. 1 overall draft picks as clients in his illustrious career, said he would tell Mendoza to look at the success of other star quarterbacks who sat on the bench to begin their careers.
“All competitive athletes want to play, but I would point out to Mendoza that Patrick Mahomes sat for a whole year behind Alex Smith in Kansas City. And when he came out his second year, he was MVP,” Steinberg told OutKick in a recent interview. “Aaron Rodgers had a similar route. That Philip Rivers had a similar route.”
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks to throw against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Mahomes played just one game his rookie season, the final game of the regular season, before taking over as the full-time starter in 2018 and winning the MVP. The Kansas City Chiefs star sat behind Alex Smith before setting the world on fire by throwing for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Aaron Rodgers’ Hall of Fame career began on the bench for three seasons as he sat behind Brett Favre. Those three years proved fruitful as Rodgers has won the MVP four times, becoming a 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion.
With the then-San Diego Chargers, Rivers sat behind Drew Brees for two seasons before taking over as the starting quarterback in his third year, making the Pro Bowl for the first of eight times in his career.
The Raiders hope Mendoza’s career trajectory is similar to those of Mahomes, Rodgers and Rivers. Steinberg stressed the importance of letting Mendoza develop both behind the scenes and on the field.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass during a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Aug. 13, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
“The key is now they’ve drafted the talent, but how you develop the talent, how you bring Mendoza along because it’s his rookie year. He’ll throw interceptions, he won’t throw again, he’ll have problems in play calling, the game’s much faster, the degree of separation is thinner,” Steinberg said.
“Mendoza can greatly benefit from watching the game outside. And it’s not like the Raiders have the strongest offensive line in the league. What you don’t want to do is kill the young player’s confidence or the confidence of the team in him.”
Mendoza will sit behind Kirk Cousins, who has made the Pro Bowl four times over his 14-year career. Steinberg said Cousins appears to be a generous mentor for the Indiana star.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins watches Fernando Mendoza warm up before a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium on Aug. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Getty Images)
So while the philosophy of Mendoza sitting to begin his career sounds great in theory, Steinberg said that if he were Mendoza’s agent, he’d understand the decision but would also understand if Mendoza didn’t like it.
“I wouldn’t be unhappy at all except for the fact that players want to play. So you’re I can have this philosophy. I guarantee you Mendoza doesn’t have this that he desperately wants to play,” Steinberg said.
“You wouldn’t want him as a player if he didn’t have that that intense desire to play.”
Before the Raiders named Cousins their Week 1 starting quarterback, general manager John Spytek said last week Mendoza’s time is coming.
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Leigh Steinberg attends the 39th Annual Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl Party at Storek on Feb. 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images)
“He’s a tireless worker. He loves football. He loves his teammates. He’s energetic on the field. He’s self-critical. He’s self-aware. He’s very accurate,” Spytek said during a recent press conference. “His time is coming, but he’s got to earn it every day, and he knows that. I think we’re all very pleased with the person and his work ethic and his commitment to being a great quarterback.”
Spytek said Mendoza has shown the team everything it learned about him in the draft process.
Steinberg, who was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, has had many high-profile clients throughout his impressive career. Across football and baseball, Steinberg’s clients include Steve Bartkowski, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stewart, Jeff George, Ben Roethlisberger, Myron Rolle, Matt Leinart, Mark Brunell, Ricky Williams, Howie Long, Eric Karros and Dusty Baker, among others.
