Las Vegas QB Kirk Cousins Continues To Prove He Has What It Takes

Quarterback Kirk Cousins officially entered the "hired gun" phase of his career - whether it was voluntary or not - on April 25, 2024. That was the day, a mere 45 days after the Atlanta Falcons had signed Cousins as a free agent, that they took quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft.

With Penix battling injuries and getting acclimated to life in the NFL, Cousins would start Atlanta's first 14 games of the 2024 season, leading the team to a 7-7 record while completing 66.9% (303-for-453) of his passes with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. With Penix continuing to tangle with persistent injury woes, Cousins would start 10 more games for Atlanta in 2025, again fashioning a .500 record (5-5) and this time with a 61.7% (166-for-269) completion percentage, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Then, two years to the day - March 11, 2026 - since Cousins' Atlanta tenure began, it ended as he was released. Entering free agency for the third time in his career, the soon-to-be 38-year-old would be looking to extend his career with a fourth team.

That opportunity came on April 2 when he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders but again, Cousins' new team cast a glance into its QB future - this time a scant 21 days later - as the Raiders selected Indiana University's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

That immediately led to speculation regarding when, not if, Mendoza would usurp Cousins as the Raiders' starting signal-caller, thereby putting Cousins in the role of full-time mentor.

Well, Cousins has answered what was expected to be a training-camp battle for the No. 1 spot with a resounding, "Not so fast, my friend," as he not only won the starting gig, but has subsequently led the Raiders to a surprising 3-1 start to the season.

The lone blemish on the won-loss record was Sunday's heart-racing 30-27 defeat at the hands of the now 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.

Cousins was hardly at fault for the setback. In fact, he nearly led the Raiders back from a 30-19 deficit in the fourth quarter. After finding tight end Brock Bowers for a 20-yard TD pass and hitting Cody White for the two-point conversion to make it 30-27, Cousins had one more chance for late-game glory, but he was intercepted by Kansas City's Xavier Nwankpa at the Chiefs' 36 with 10 seconds to play.

Cousins' 31-for-52 day for 365 yards with two touchdowns and the last-gasp interception earned a grade, despite the loss, of B- from Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, with the writer saying of Cousins' performance: "A 3-1 record is still an excellent start and surpasses preseason expectations for this squad. Kirk Cousins has been a bright spot despite being a bridge quarterback. He's showed he still has plenty left in the tank and going punch-for-punch with Patrick Mahomes only proves that point."

Sobleski also added this post-game quote, via The Athletic, from Cousins to the report: "You play through the smoke," the QB said. "You give yourself a chance at the end of the game. That's what happened today, and we just weren't able to capitalize."

The simple fact is that Cousins has answered the bell in all four of the Raiders' games this season. That includes a combined 93-for-144 passing (64.6%) for 1,026 yards with an NFL-best 11 TD passes and four interceptions. His start has also been historic as the three TD passes he recorded in each of the Raiders' first three games marked the first time in franchise history a Raiders' quarterback had accomplished that feat.

The ol' gunslinger will look to continue his hot hand on Sunday when the Raiders travel cross-country for a 10 a.m. PT matchup in Foxboro, MA, with the 2-2 New England Patriots.