Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins offered Fernando Mendoza a vote of confidence as the Raiders rookie gets set to take over under center in Las Vegas.

On Tuesday, the Raiders sent shockwaves across the NFL by trading Cousins for a 2027 third-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings, who let him walk during the 2024 offseason. In the 38-year-old’s absence, Las Vegas is now expected to start Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Taking to his Instagram Story after being dealt to the Vikings, Cousins penned a brief message to the Raiders fanbase and Mendoza. “Thank you Raider Nation! Go get em (sic),” he captioned a photo of him and Mendoza walking through the tunnel at Allegiant Stadium.

Cousins was everything and more that the Raiders could’ve asked for in a bridge quarterback, completing 202-of-315 passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Given Cousins’ strong play this season, general manager John Spytek conceded that the decision to part ways with him at the trade deadline was not an easy one. "We’re all kind of staring the future in the face here with Fernando," he told reporters.

"We had to basically decide: Do we want to go forward here over the last eight games, or do we want to take what Minnesota is offering right now? Ultimately, we decided to do that."

Though Mendoza has appeared in only one regular-season game this year — completing 6-of-8 passes for 48 yards against the Patriots in garbage time on Oct. 11 — Spytek asserted that the 23-year-old earned his opportunity on the practice fields.

"He passed every test," Spytek said. "I want to stop short of saying he’s earned it, but he put us in a position where we had to make a really hard decision today, with his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback."

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak expressed a similar sentiment, adding: "Fernando has everything we’ve asked him to do in practice. I think he’s exceeded those expectations, and we all know that live-bullet Sunday is far different from practice.

“However, he showed us that he’s ready, not only physically but mentally. He’s up there studying right now like he would any other game.

“He puts a lot of work in. His teammates know how prepared he is. It’s not just lip service, but he has shown it on the practice field."

Much of Mendoza’s development can be attributed to Cousins, who showed the reigning Heisman Trophy winner the ropes, teaching him everything from recognizing blitzes to bonding with teammates.

"There’s a lot more to playing the position than what your coaches tell you in the meeting room,” Kubiak explained.

"I think Kirk embodied all the right things there, how to prepare and how to be a professional, and really, when things aren’t going well, what buttons to push on your teammates and what questions to ask your coaches. It’s an endless list of all positive things."