For a young quarterback, having the right voice around him can make all the difference. Fernando Mendoza has a veteran in Kirk Cousins to learn from, and  the pairing has caught the attention of one of the league's biggest stars . After Sunday's game, Patrick Mahomes shared his optimism about what Mendoza can take from Cousins. 

Kansas City beat Las Vegas 30-27, with Cousins throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns on 31-of-52 passing, plus one interception. Mendoza, the top overall pick, is serving as his backup. During the post-game presser, Mahomes addressed the media and spoke about Cousins. 

"It’s going to do a lot of great things for him. Kirk is a true pro. Like a quarterback who knows how to run the court of the room, the team, everything the right way, and he’s going to do it the right way. And you saw that today."

Mahomes also pointed to Cousins’ own journey this season, suggesting there is plenty Mendoza can take away from the veteran quarterback’s experience.

"I mean, he’s come off an injury too, and for him to get back to where he was before that, to be able to deal with it," Mahomes said during the interview as reported by SleeperChiefs on X. "I mean, he started the season great, and so it’ll be great for Fernando to learn and just take it in. Hopefully not too much; it went really well for me and Alex, maybe not that much unless I’m gone."

Mahomes speaks from experience, since he once sat behind an established starter himself. 

When Patrick Mahomes spoke about his own time behind Alex Smith

The Chiefs drafted Mahomes in the first round in 2017, but he spent that rookie season mostly out of view as Alex Smith's backup, until Kansas City rested its starters in the regular-season finale. Smith had the best year of his career while Mahomes watched. 

During an interview with KY3 in 2025, Mahomes reflected on his own experience as a rookie learning from a veteran. 

"He taught me so much about being a pro," Mahomes said. "I know that sounds so simple, but whenever you are coming out of college, and you’re still 21 years old, and you’ve been going to college classes, to be all football, all the time – it’s a profession, not a hobby, not something you do for fun – you have to learn."

Mahomes also touched on the bigger responsibilities that come with playing quarterback, pointing to the value of having a veteran around to learn those lessons.

"Especially at the quarterback position, there is so much that goes into it other than playing football. I think I learned that from Alex."

That is the kind of lesson Mahomes hopes Mendoza can take from Cousins, who, as Mahomes put it, has started the season great. For a rookie waiting his turn, watching a veteran handle the job every week can be its own lesson, just as it was for Mahomes. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco