Fernando Mendoza is not ready for prime time.The ‘perfect’ Indiana Hoosiers quarterback is also putting too much pressure on himself while trying to inspire a rebuilding NFL team that isn’t supposed to make the playoffs.Fernando Mendoza faltered and Kirk Cousins should be the Raiders’ starting QBgettyMendoza’s second preseason game — his first as a starter — was a big step backward.The No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft threw a telegraphed pick-six that was returned 80 yards by the Houston Texans for a touchdown.The 22-year-old QB with a $57.2 million guaranteed contract only completed 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards and a paltry 42.6 rating against NFL backups.Throw in Mendoza’s happy feet in the pocket and an 11-yard sack, and the Raiders’ offseason decision to sign 15-year veteran Kirk Cousins to a two-year, $12.6m contract looks even smarter on Friday morning.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.That’s because Mendoza clearly isn’t ready to be a Week 1 starting QB in the NFL.With a rookie head coach (Klint Kubiak) taking over a team that went 3-14 and fired Pete Carroll last season, the worst thing the Raiders can do is force Mendoza into a national spotlight that he’s not ready for.“We got another week. I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job,” said Kubiak, after the Raiders edged the Texans 22-20 at Reliant Stadium.“It should always be that way for all positions. So let’s keep going.”That’s exactly what a rookie NFL head coach would say, despite everyone knowing that Cousins is already a 99.99 percent lock to start Week 1 for the silver and black.All the Raiders have to do is a little Tom Brady research to understand how important year one is for the NFL’s latest No. 1 pick.Mendoza suffered a big setback in his second preseason gamegettyMendoza telegraphed an interception and couldn’t make the tacklegettyView Tweet: https://x.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwBrady watched and waited in his 2000 rookie season, barely touching the field with Bill Belichick‘s New England Patriots.Twenty-six years later, Brady has gone full circle as a Raiders minority owner who does a bit of everything and spends part of his time calling NFL games for FOX.But his biggest football job right now is ensuring that Las Vegas owner Mark Davis, a rookie head coach, and the normally stumbling and bumbling Raiders get it right in 2026 and beyond with Mendoza.“I let my teammates down today,” said Mendoza, after his first preseason game.That showed how much pressure Mendoza is putting on himself.The young Raiders QB who’s afraid of setting foot on the Las Vegas Strip was far worse in his second exhibition contest, despite playing against defensive players who normally wouldn’t be on an NFL field.Mendoza had a bad night in his second preseason gameGettyZach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mitch Trubisky, J.J. McCarthy and Justin Fields are the most recent examples of QBs who were drafted too high and forced onto the field too soon.While Mendoza isn’t a generational prospect — he rose from a two-star recruit to a stunning final season at Indiana — the ex-Hoosier has the inner drive, mental acumen, field vision and overall athleticism to develop into a Pro Bowl QB.If the Raiders don’t screw him up along the way.“I came away with there’s a lot more learning to do, and although that maybe you may have had a lot of success at another level, this level is a whole step further and that the margins are so small, and that one tiny mistake can lead to catastrophe,” Mendoza said on Thursday.Cousins has bounced from Washington and Minnesota to Atlanta and Vegas.He’s thrown for 44,700 career yards and 298 touchdowns, and he proved with the Falcons and Michael Penix Jr. how good of a teammate he is.Cousins became a backup to Penix in Atlanta, and will fully support Mendoza whenever the Raiders decide that it’s the right time to elevate the No. 1 pick.The smartest thing that Brady’s Raiders have done, thus far, is add Cousins to a hole-filled roster highlighted by Maxx Crosby and Mendoza.Las Vegas is not winning the Super Bowl in 2026 — the Raiders aren’t even close to being a contender. The next move for Kubiak is handing the ball to Cousins for Week 1, and allowing Mendoza to properly watch and learn as a rookie — just like Brady did.