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Vegas Traded Its Quarterback, and the No. 1 Pick Debuts Against Seattle
The Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to Minnesota on deadline day for a 2027 third-round pick, so Seattle’s Sunday opponent changed quarterbacks with five days’ notice. Fernando Mendoza, April’s No. 1 overall pick, makes his first NFL start against the Seahawks in Las Vegas.
GM John Spytek said Mendoza “passed every test,” and also admitted he never shopped Cousins until Minnesota called Tuesday morning. Mendoza’s regular-season file is one Week 5 cameo against New England: six of eight for 48 yards. That’s it. Seattle spent its weekend scouting a 38-year-old and now gets a 23-year-old with eight career regular-season passes.
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Seattle spent its weekend scouting a 38-year-old and now gets a 23-year-old with eight career regular-season passes.
The defense waiting for him allows 155.1 passing yards a game, fewest in the league, and ranks first in total defense. Las Vegas runs for 71.3 yards a game, second-fewest, which is a polite way of saying the kid is going to see a lot of third-and-long. Per Tim Booth, Seattle is 3-0 against first-round rookies making their first start.
The books noticed. BetMGM moved Seattle from 3.5-point favorites to 6.5 and dropped the total from 43 to 40.5. I’d hold the parade, since our quarterback is Drew Lock with an oblique and a throwing budget. Michael Bumpus warned on Seattle Sports that rookies sometimes “light it up because they’re not aware of the severity of the situation.” That’s the scary version. I prefer the one where Byron Murphy II introduces himself early.
-6.5
Seattle’s spread at BetMGM after the Cousins trade, up from -3.5.
SOURCES →
Roster
Everyone Else Went Shopping. Schneider Swapped Practice-Squad Tackles.
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Smith was the Raiders castoff Seattle signed earlier this month. So in the week Seattle plays Las Vegas, it traded a Raiders reject for a Chiefs reject. Could be espionage. Could be roster math. I know which one I’m choosing to believe.
The Jonathan Taylor flirtation “started and ended” with the first inquiry, per Corbin K. Smith, after the Colts asked for something like the four-pick haul the 49ers paid for Christian McCaffrey. With Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price back, Schneider passed. Ammo wasn’t the problem: Seattle holds 10 picks in 2027 counting projected comps.
Meanwhile the Raiders moved their quarterback and the 49ers bought a receiver. I wanted one more pass catcher too. But Schneider already spent a third-rounder on Quenton Nelson on Oct. 27, so the front office did its deadline shopping early and didn’t come back for the impulse aisle.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
Drew Lock is expected to start Sunday on a rationed arm again, with Jalen Milroe getting some first-team reps, per Gregg Bell. Last week Lock threw in exactly one practice and then went 19 of 28 with no picks against Arizona. If it works, keep doing it. RotoBaller
Sam Darnold could return after the bye, which points at the Nov. 29 trip to San Francisco. On Leonard Williams, Charles Cross, Uchenna Nwosu and Rashid Shaheed, Macdonald offered: “nobody’s in, nobody’s out.” Four players, one shrug. Seattle Sports
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is at 71 catches, 1,036 yards and nine touchdowns through nine games. He had 10 touchdowns in all of 2025. Schneider looked at the receiver market and apparently decided JSN is the market. Athlon Sports
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
Los Angeles needed a receiver with Puka Nacua hurt, and the deadline passed without one. The big move was re-signing Xavier Smith, who had one target and zero catches before the Rams cut him, and putting Jordan Whittington on IR. The room is now Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, C.J. Daniels and a guy they already let go once. Seattle didn’t add a receiver either, but ours came with 1,036 yards already in the bank.
NINERS
San Francisco sent Indianapolis a 2027 sixth for Keenan Allen, who had 40 catches for 351 yards in eight games as a Colt. Per NFL.com, the 49ers now roster the active leaders in receptions by a receiver (Allen) and receiving yards by a receiver (Mike Evans). Evans is week-to-week with an Achilles and didn’t practice Wednesday. That’s not a receiver room, it’s a lifetime achievement banquet where half the honorees can’t make it. See you Nov. 29.
CARDINALS
Mike LaFleur made it official Wednesday: Carson Beck starts Sunday against the Rams. Beck hasn’t played in a game since the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6, when a rib injury ended his preseason. His last college game was a national-title loss to Indiana and Fernando Mendoza, who also debuts Sunday. Beck gets the Rams’ pass rush. Mendoza gets ours. For once, I’m not sure Arizona drew the worse card.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
This Tacoma native went undrafted out of Central Washington, signed with Seattle in 1996, and led NFL Europe’s Barcelona Dragons to the 1997 World Bowl title. Who is he?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Jon Kitna. He was also the World Bowl MVP that year, then came home and became Seattle’s starting quarterback.
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
1990
November 11, 1990
Seven Sacks, One Last Throw
At Kansas City, Derrick Thomas sacked Dave Krieg an NFL-record seven times. Krieg slipped what would have been the eighth on the final play and hit Paul Skansi for a 25-yard touchdown, and Seattle won 17-16. Krieg finished 16 of 23 for 305 yards and two scores, which is a very strange line to post while lying on your back most of the afternoon.
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Welcome to the league, Fernando. — The Rooster