Fernando Mendoza has plenty of experience to rely on in Raiders quarterbacks room

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Much has been made of Kirk Cousins ' impact on Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza's development.

But there's another veteran QB in Las Vegas who could have a role in helping Mendoza begin to live up to the expectations that come with being the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick.

Aidan O'Connell enters his fourth season and provides guidance through words and actions. He led two lengthy fourth-quarter touchdown drives to rally the Raiders to a 22-20 preseason victory at Houston on Thursday night.

“I think we’ve said all offseason how much we value Aidan, and what a heck of a second half,” coach Klint Kubiak said Friday. "He goes out and leads us to (a) 19-point half and two 90-plus yard drives in the fourth quarter. He did it with his teammates, but he was a big part of it and was very happy for him.”

Kubiak said he and the staff were considering keeping all three quarterbacks this season.

“Those guys are going to make us make hard decisions, which is a great thing, that competition,” Kubiak said. "We’re talking through it.”

Much of the discussion likely also centers around when Mendoza will get the chance to start this season.

He played the entire first half against the Texans and produced mixed results. Mendoza threw behind running back Mike Washington Jr. only to see an interception go the other way for an 80-yard touchdown. But he also completed six passes in a row during one stretch.

By the time he was done, Mendoza had completed eight of 15 passes for 86 yards, his five drives totaling just three points. He was victimized by two dropped passes from rookie wide receiver Malik Benson, one that would have been a big gainer on third down.

Kubiak praised Mendoza's work in the meeting room Wednesday night and said much of it translated to the game.

“I was pleased with watching the tape,” Kubiak said. “I really like what he did on third down. We were only 1 of 5 on third down in the first half. However, we did drop the ball twice, and we threw one short of the sticks on third-and-long. He had really good ball placement on the first third down of the game with a guy in his face. So, in the critical downs, I thought he was playing his best.

"There are things that we must get corrected that will be addressed ASAP.”

As Kubiak indicated, there were issues at wide receiver. Benson had appeared to calm some nerves about the position with his excellent play in training camp, but Kubiak clearly had a hard time overlooking those two drops.

One of the main questions this preseason is what the Raiders will do without a true No. 1 receiver. Tight end Brock Bowers, who has had a tremendous camp, will likely get most of the targets.

“I learned a lot in that we have to get a lot better very fast, that we took a step backward," Kubiak said of the receivers. "Doesn’t mean we can’t go forward. But right now, we are trying to find someone that is accountable and can help us on Sunday. Still looking.”

The Raiders wrap up their preseason schedule by hosting former Bay Area rival San Francisco on Thursday night.

Cousins, who has been quarterbacking the starting offense in practice, is expected to be the starter when the season — his 15th in the NFL — begins Sept. 13 against Miami.

The challenge, if Cousins does start, will be finding enough snaps for Mendoza so that he can improve and put himself in position to eventually take over. Kubiak said the coaching staff would need to get creative, even if it means putting in extra hours to make it work.

“There are things you can do,” Kubiak said. "It’s never as good as getting all the reps in practice, but you do the best you can with what you got.”

A week after committing eight penalties for 75 yards against Arizona, the Raiders had nine for 83 against the Texans.

Six of the infractions at Houston were on special teams, costing the Raiders 51 yards.

“It’s on us as coaches to get it fixed,” Kubiak said. "I don’t know if I’ve seen that many special teams penalties in a game. You look at the guys that are committing these penalties, these are some younger guys and it’s not acceptable.

"We have to get it fixed defensively. We get a stop on third down, we taunt a guy and let them stay on the field. Unacceptable. One was a face mask defensively. It’s two weeks in a row that, as a coaching staff, we’ve got substitution penalties. Unacceptable.”

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) signals during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is pressured by Houston Texans defensive tackle Kayden McDonald (93) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony on Saturday in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet, a killing that drew national attention and led to harassment of the families.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 killing of Austin Metcalf, 17.

Judge Michael Chitty denied the retrial motion in a half-page order following a two-day hearing this week near Dallas, citing a review of the evidence and arguments. He did not elaborate.

Russell Wilson, Anthony's attorney, said the defense would appeal.

“Our commitment to our client has not changed,” Wilson said. “We will continue to advocate vigorously on his behalf through every lawful avenue available.”

At the center of Anthony’s retrial request was an off-the-record agreement between prosecutors and his trial defense team to keep damaging character evidence about both teenagers out of the proceeding. Both sides agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.

The case attracted widespread attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.

But worries that prosecutors would renege on the agreement as Anthony prepared to testify, his attorneys say, came after a heated argument between lawyers on both sides and changed their defense strategy at the eleventh hour. Anthony ultimately decided not to testify.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair this week.

“We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said after the denial was announced. “The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”

Anthony’s attorneys also demanded a retrial because they said trial judge John Roach’s courtroom rules were so strict that they limited the public’s access to the proceedings. And in asking for Roach's recusal, they noted that he gave a posttrial interview with a Dallas TV station in which he expressed agreement with the jury's decision.

“Whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach said.

Roach said his rules were necessary for a fair trial, and prosecutors insisted he did nothing wrong.

Jurors rejected Anthony’s claims that he was defending himself during a confrontation with Metcalf in the bleachers of the track meet, where several schools were competing.

Anthony, who was sitting under a tent in the bleachers, was told repeatedly by Metcalf and others to leave, witnesses testified.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses identified Anthony as the aggressor.

At one point Anthony reached inside a bag and said: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

According to witnesses Metcalf pushed Anthony, who pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

This booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, shows Karmelo Anthony. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)