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Raiders mull benching Cousins

Sports · Heat 6.0 / 10 · 8 shows · 1h 9m airtime

On October 14, 2026, the New York Post reported that conversations were taking shape inside the Raiders organization about benching Kirk Cousins for Fernando Mendoza. After a fourth straight loss the Raiders said they are sticking with Cousins and reiterated that he is their guy with no change coming soon, while Kubiak said the team is considering everything, personnel and scheme included. Cousins said he does not want to play if he is not the best option, and later that he would have said so at the first OTA if Mendoza had clearly outplayed him. The statistical case is contested: Cousins leads the NFL in touchdowns but ranks 21st in QBR, and Minnesota is 29th in EPA per play.

How 8 podcasts covered it

  1. First Take, 2026-10-14 (39:26 to 43:06)
    Debates the timing of a Cousins benching
    Debates whether the Raiders should bench Kirk Cousins for Fernando Mendoza now or wait until Week 8 against the Jets. It stays inside the benching question the New York Post report opened, adding only the schedule argument.
  2. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-14 (18:17 to 21:08)
    Picks up the report on sitting Cousins
    Picks up the New York Post report that Raiders conversations about sitting Kirk Cousins for Fernando Mendoza are taking shape, plays Clint Kubiak's praise of Mendoza's first reps, and sketches a slow handoff timeline. Then turns to the Bills matchup and the Las Vegas spot.
    New angle: The New York Post reported conversations within the Raiders organization about Kirk Cousins sitting for Fernando Mendoza.
  3. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-26 (12:18 to 13:40)
    Floats the Jets game as Mendoza's soft landing
    Speculates about when the Raiders would switch to Mendoza, floating the Jets game as the soft landing, and notes the 3-0 start came against Miami, the Chargers and the Saints before four straight losses to the Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Rams. Stays inside the existing quarterback debate.
  4. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-26 (18:44 to 23:14)
    Adds Griffin's call to start Mendoza now
    Puts Griffin on the record on the Raiders' quarterback call: start Mendoza now, before the Jets, because the schedule after that leaves no soft landing. Adds Cousins' 16 touchdown passes and the four-game skid as the frame.
    New angle: Griffin says the Raiders should start Mendoza now, before the Jets, or sit him the rest of the year.
  5. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-26 (4:48 to 8:01)
    Plays Cousins' own comments on the record
    Plays Cousins' own post-loss comments on the record - he doesn't want to be out there if he isn't the best option - and walks the schedule after the Jets: Niners, Seahawks, Broncos, Browns. The debate stays on whether a Mendoza switch would hold.
    New angle: Cousins said after Sunday's loss he doesn't want to play if he isn't the best option.
  6. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-26 (21:17 to 25:43)
    Repeats the case for starting Mendoza now
    Griffin makes the case for Mendoza now: the moment matters more than Cousins' 16 touchdown passes, and waiting for the 49ers, Seahawks, Broncos and Browns stretch would only hurt a rookie's confidence. A fuller version of the take already on the record.
  7. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-26 (22:40 to 26:40)
    Debates benching Cousins for Mendoza
    Brockman's overreaction segment argues the Raiders should start Mendoza in Week 8 and the Vikings should trade for Cousins; Eisen pushes back, laying out the road-heavy schedule and preferring to wait until after the bye. Opinion and schedule talk, no new development.
  8. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-26 (48:05 to 57:50)
    Argues the Raiders must play Mendoza
    Takes the Cousins-to-Minnesota idea seriously because of his familiarity with Kevin O'Connell's offense, and argues the Raiders have to play Mendoza at some point this year. Adds Cousins' touchdown-to-QBR split and Minnesota's 29th-ranked EPA offense as the case for it.
    New angle: Cousins leads the NFL in touchdowns but ranks 21st in QBR; Minnesota is 29th in EPA per play.
  9. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-26 (38:05 to 46:22)
    Weighs benching Cousins against the road schedule
    Weighs whether to bench Cousins for Mendoza and lands on waiting: four of the next five are on the road, at San Francisco, Denver and Cleveland, with a bye before a five-game stretch that makes a cleaner debut. Kubiak's 'thinking about everything' answer is read as an opening, not a commitment.
    New angle: Kubiak said the team is thinking about everything, including personnel and scheme, to fix its problems.
  10. First Things First, 2026-10-26 (1:11:50 to 1:14:36)
    Revisits the Cousins debate after a fourth loss
    Runs the Cousins debate again after the fourth straight loss: the coach's soundbite that there is no controversy, the 16 touchdown passes, and the argument that the defense, not the quarterback, is the problem. Stays inside the week's coverage.
  11. First Things First, 2026-10-26 (2:02:37 to 2:04:40)
    Recaps the fourth loss and the QB1 call
    Recaps the Raiders' fourth straight loss and Clint Kubiak's decision to keep Kirk Cousins as QB1. The argument is about when Mendoza should start, given a brutal upcoming schedule, and it stays inside the week's coverage.
  12. PTI, 2026-10-26 (21:57 to 23:04)
    Reports the Raiders sticking with Cousins
    Rapid-fire close: the Raiders are sticking with Kirk Cousins after a fourth straight loss, with his league-leading 16 touchdowns and five interceptions as the case. Then a quick pass over the Oilers, a baseball outfield rule test, Cowboys-Eagles and the 0-3 Heat.
    New angle: The Raiders are sticking with Kirk Cousins at quarterback after a fourth straight loss.
  13. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-27 (20:39 to 30:31)
    Argues the Raiders planned to sit Mendoza all along
    Middlekauff argues the Raiders planned all along to sit Mendoza as a rookie, that Cousins gives them the better chance now, and that Clint Kubiak has a long leash. He adds that the team reiterated today that Cousins is their guy and would shop Maxx Crosby for draft capital.
    New angle: The Raiders reiterated today that Cousins is their guy and they are not making a change anytime soon.
  14. Nightcap, 2026-10-28 (37:56 to 41:49)
    Plays Cousins' clip on Mendoza's future
    Plays the Cousins clip in full: he says he wants the team to have the best chance to win, calls Mendoza a bright future and says he will set an example until Mendoza eventually goes out there. The debate stays on when Mendoza starts, with a split on giving Cousins another week.
    New angle: Cousins said he would have said so at the first OTA if Mendoza had clearly outplayed him.
  15. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-28 (36:32 to 39:44)
    Predicts a Cousins benching after the tough stretch
    Warner predicts the switch to Mendoza comes once the stretch at San Francisco, against Denver and at Cleveland shows the Raiders cannot compete, and compares it to the Giants going to Eli Manning after nine games. Prediction and framing, not a development.
  16. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-29 (26:19 to 30:25)
    Debates when Mendoza should start
    Picks the Raiders over the Jets and debates when Mendoza should take over. The rule the hosts settle on - Cousins keeps the job while the playoff window is open, Mendoza starts once it closes - is their own framing, not a new development in the Raiders' quarterback situation.
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