NFL set for rare Week 1 without a rookie starting quarterback
Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson are expected to begin the season as reserves, marking only the second opening round in 19 seasons without a rookie quarterback starter.
The NFL is expected to begin its season without a rookie quarterback starting in Week 1, a rare outcome that has occurred only once in the previous 19 seasons.
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to keep first overall pick Fernando Mendoza on the bench behind Kirk Cousins. The Los Angeles Rams are also expected to start with first-round pick Ty Simpson as a reserve.
The previous season without a rookie quarterback starting the opener was 2022. Before that, the last instance was 2007, when Raiders first overall pick JaMarcus Russell did not sign until after the opening game.
The Associated Press report said the shift reflects how teams have increasingly handed starting roles to young quarterbacks as the college and professional games have become more similar. Six first-round quarterbacks selected after Baker Mayfield in 2018 all started Week 1.
Mendoza is the first quarterback selected first overall to begin his career as a reserve since Mayfield. Of 30 quarterbacks taken first overall since 1967, 20 started their rookie-season opener, according to the report.
The Raiders are also expected to match a league record by having a different head coach and starting quarterback in their opening game for four consecutive seasons. The sequence began in 2023 and is set to continue with coach Klint Kubiak and Cousins.
