Unlike his time in Atlanta, Cousins arrived to the Las Vegas Raiders fully aware of his role.
Kirk Cousins wasn’t under any illusions when he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, a stark contrast from his time with the Atlanta Falcons. Unlike that turbulent tenure, Cousins joins the Raiders fully embracing the role of a bridge quarterback – and that Fernando Mendoza may eventually take his job. Las Vegas is expected to select the Indiana Hoosiers Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 1 overall pick. And if he’s the better player, so be it for Cousins. So much so, he told head coach Klint Kubiak that if that’s the case, he wouldn’t even want to take the field.
It’s a completely different outlook for Cousins and situation he steps into than what happened in Atlanta, where he was blindsided by the Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the NFL draft weeks after signing Cousins. This time, Cousins is prepared to be the mentor to Mendoza. The two have already met, as Cousins attended the first day of the Raiders’ offseason program, which coincided with Mendoza’s 30 visit to the facility. Cousins was highly complementary of Mendoza, saying that he’s further in his development than Cousins was at that stage. To play with Mendoza would be a privilege to Cousins.
Here is the full story from Raiders Roundtable writer Nick Radosevich on the team’s plan at quarterback and how to get the most out of both backup and starter.
Cousins is equally thrilled to be back with Kubiak after spending three seasons together with the Minnesota Vikings. It made sense for him to choose that system. But on a new team, he’ll have to prove himself, and he seems to prefer it that way. With a change of scenery, Cousins seems content to be where his feet are.