Raiders' Mark Davis Talks 'Pressure' To Play Fernando Mendoza Over Kirk Cousins, Praises No. 1 Pick

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis said he's feeling "absolutely no pressure whatsoever" to start top overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback this season during an interview on CNBC.

"Today, there's a lot of pressure put on teams when they draft a guy No. 1 that you have to play him right away," Davis continued (h/t Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). "That's why I think we were so fortunate to get Kirk Cousins as someone who could bridge the gap and let this young man learn a lot about what football is in the pros, the speed of the game and the things that have to be done. And he's picking it up great, but I think we're fortunate he doesn't have to go out and play."

Cousins, 38, has played well this season, throwing for 2,124 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.6 percent of his passes and taking 11 sacks. The Raiders are 4-4 and right now are in the mix for a potential playoff berth, though five teams are currently ahead of them in the Wild Card hunt.

Nonetheless, it's given the Raiders little reason to rush Mendoza into action. And if they were going to make the change, doing so after their recent four-game losing streak would have been the time. But Cousins wasn't the main culprit during those struggles and just threw for 247 yards and three scores during a 38-33 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

In other words, he's going to remain the guy for the time being.